Beloved Actor Luke Perry Had a Cancer Scare Years Before Fatal Stroke

Screening for colorectal cancer is an incredibly important when it comes to prevention, and catching cancer early. Colon cancers begin as a polyp, or small growth, in the colon that causes no symptoms. Polyps can’t be felt, but they can be picked up by screening tests before they cause a problem. Typically, it takes up to 10 years for a colon polyp to turn into full-blown cancer — this gives doctors time to remove polyps before they become an issue.

The American Cancer Society recommends that people begin screening for colon cancer at age 45, and continue to get screened every 10 years. However, if a polyp is found, more frequent colonoscopies might be required. Depending on the size and number of polyps, it is recommended that patients undergo a repeat colonoscopy within three to five years, and maybe more frequently depending on the individual risk of the patient. Risk will depend on a person’s family history, history with the disease, and lifestyle factors like diet.

After Perry’s scare, he told Fox News that he had significantly cut down on how much red meat he was consuming. “I used to be like a steak and potatoes every night kind of guy, now it’s just for special occasions,” he said.

When it comes to cancer prevention, meat tends to get a bad rap. However, Dr. Stephen Freedland, Director of the Center for Integrated Research in Cancer and Lifestyle at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, said that it’s actually the way that meat is processed that makes it dangerous. "I think part of the problem is how we process the meat, how we cook the meat, what we eat with the meat."

Perry’s decision to save the steaks for special occasions probably did have health benefits, but Dr. Freedland says that the more important thing when it comes to consuming animal meat is to be conscious of where the meat is coming from and how it’s being prepared.

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