We are in the midst of March Madness now, but a sidebar to the basketball tournaments is a coaches versus cancer initiative to get fans to think about colon cancer screening during what also happens to be colon cancer awareness month.

They’re shooting for hopes that hoops fans will pay notice to the importance of getting a colonoscopy.

If people only paid as much attention as they do on their bracketology to their colonoscopy which they should be getting.

Which is why a PSA is being shown at NCAA arenas during March Madness highlighting the Earn a Blue Star program. It is led by former Missouri head coach norm Stewart, a colon cancer survivor himself.

You might say, not getting screened for colon cancer, now that’s madness!

Ok, that’s awful, but the fact is, less than half the people who should be getting screened get screened. If there is a cancer, you’re catching it early. It can be cut out, and you can go on with your life!

Dr. Michael Harris, a colorectal surgeon at Mt. Sinai Medical Center, says, “People who have disease that is picked up early enough can have new surgical options like minimally invasive surgery that gets them out of the hospital and back to work quicker than conventional techniques. We are able to do anything we are able to do with tiny insertions smaller than a dime, we have a camera and small instruments that allows us to everything we do with open surgery with the same outcomes, we have been doing laparoscopic colon surgery for almost fifteen years now we have only learned recently that is as good for colon cancer as traditional operation. So screening changes everything.”

Everyone over the age of 50 needs to be screened, ideally with a colonoscopy every ten years. Those with a family history of colon cancer need to be screened before that, so speak with your doctor.

Colonoscopy is not uncomfortable for most, because you’re sedated.

Oren Stevens’ cancer was detected early enough so that he was able to get minimally invasive surgery. “It is much quicker recovery, much less pain and less scary. Six weeks after the surgery I was doing everything again, I was working out, I was running, I was doing everything I wanted to do,” says Oren.

No question, colon cancer was not Oren’s bracket buster. Hopefully, though he didn’t have Tennessee going all the way.

For more information, go to www.mybluestar.com

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