Indians and Colorectal?

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nativefem
nativefem Member Posts: 1
edited March 2014 in Colorectal Cancer #1
Hey all,
I've been reading about how native americans have a higher risk for colorectal cancer. Was wondering if anyone out here is native?

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  • shmurciakova
    shmurciakova Member Posts: 906 Member
    #2
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    I am part Choctaw. I have never heard of this before. I have actually been to a genetic counselor and they never mentioned this to me. They do not have any ideas for me as to why I developed CC at such a young age. I was diagnosed when I was 31. They do not feel that I have HNPCC because no one in my direct family has had colon cancer. They do feel that there is a "genetic component" but they don't know what it is.
    Pretty frustrating, Anyway, if you have any other info. on this please tell me.
    -Susan.
  • well
    well Member Posts: 26
    #3
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    Having a number of native friends, I decided to ask them. Not being cancer experts, it did not surprise me that none of them had heard of this. I decided to do a little looking on my own and found the following quote:

    > In general, minority populations are at greater risk of dying from colorectal cancer because they receive preventive care less often. This includes racial minorities such as Native Americans, Hispanics, Vietnamese, and African Americans, as well as social minorities such as gays and lesbians. Screening is a crucial step in preventing colorectal cancer.

    The above quote is found at 15 Causes of Colorectal Cancer. I hope not to be taken as insulting if I mention that some other causes of CRC happen to be rather prevalent among first peoples. This isn't necessarily a good place to get into the whys and wherefores of things sociologists still argue about, but the number one cause is age, and personally, I plan on getting as much age as I can, it's a good thing. :-) But the number two cause they list there is alcohol. I'd like to see less of a prevalence of alcohol problems among native peoples, but until that happens, it's likely that the CRC numbers may be higher as well.

    I hope I'm not coming across as insensitive or biased, I just wonder if some of the risk factors being higher might account for the numbers, more so than a genetic predisposition like with the Ashkenazi Jews.

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