Dear Patients,

To honor Colorectal Cancer Awareness Month this March, I want to share some important information on colorectal cancer with you.

• 1 in 23 men and 1 in 25 women will be diagnosed with colorectal cancer in their lifetime.
• Colorectal cancer is most frequently found in patients age 50+ and affects all racial and ethnic groups.
• Younger onset of colorectal cancer is on the rise. In 2021, about 12% of cases will be diagnosed in Americans under age 50.
• When found early, colorectal cancer has a 90% survival rate, making colorectal cancer screenings essential for preventing the disease.

From 2016 to 2018, colorectal cancer screening rates increased 1.4 points from 67.4% to 68.8%. This means 3.5 million more adults have been screened for colorectal cancer. However, at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic…

• Colorectal cancer screenings dropped by roughly 90%.
• Diagnoses decreased by 32%.
• It is estimated that 1 in 3 eligible adults are still not getting screened.
• 18,000+ patients were put at risk of missed or delayed diagnoses.

If you have put off your colorectal cancer screening or surveillance, I urge you to schedule your procedure today. At Manhattan Endoscopy Center, we are committed to delivering care while still taking necessary precautions to avoid risk of exposure to COVID-19:

• Maintaining social distancing guidelines of 6 feet or more, both in and outside of center setting.
• Wearing a mask (and appropriate PPE in medical setting) at all times to limit airborne transfer of droplets.
• Washing hands or using hand sanitizer to prevent direct hand transfer to eyes, nose, and mouth.
• Thoroughly sanitizing and upholding best practices for hygiene and infection control in all center work areas and patient care areas.
• Taking and recording temperature upon arrival to center.

Our highest priority is to keep our patients and staff as safe as possible. We feel confident in our ability to continue seeing patients and providing the high-quality health care you have come to expect. Our center care team will continue to update you with any new information.

Please call our center if you have any questions, or to schedule an upcoming appointment.

Thank you,

Eric Morgenstern, MD, FACG