18-04-2025
Local surgeons and doctors host open discussion about equal access to care
SPRINGFIELD, Mass. (WWLP) – Local surgeons and doctors with Mercy Hospital and Sister Caritas Cancer Center came together to share the latest on the disease.
Loved ones who lost family members to cancer were at Thursday evening's discussion advocating for more time and options when it comes to treatment.
'Get screened, don't ignore symptoms. We've lowered the screening rate down to 45 years old,' shared Kimberly Schoolcraft, a volunteer with Fight Colorectal Cancer, advocating for more time with loved ones and your options when it comes to treatment.
Local physicians and surgeons highlighted advances in cancer care during a discussion at the Basketball Hall of Fame in Springfield. Kimberly lost her husband 8 years ago to colon one of many in the crowd at the Mercy Hospital and Sister Caritas cancer event, raising awareness about the disease. She adds, 'If you're under 45 and feel like something is wrong, also get screened, don't ignore symptoms.'
The screening age for colon cancer is no longer 50, it's now 45. Kimberly shared with 22 News that the disease is often seen as an 'older person's disease'. That's no longer the case.
Dr. Sarah McPartland with Trinity Health told 22News, 'Doctors discussing care makes a difference, so much so that the organization that credits cancer programs, the Commission on Cancer, mandates that these conversations happen through what are called room reports.'
Sister Caritas is the only cancer center in western Massachusetts that is accredited by the Commission on Cancer. The team reviews new patient cancer cases every week. 'Easter is coming up,' Kimberly says. 'People will be getting together, on any holidays, make sure you know family history because that plays a part in a lot of diseases. Colorectal cancer is one of them.'
Cancer screening can detect the disease at early stages before symptoms occur. That's critical for prevention, and it's most treatable during the early stages. A woman should begin breast cancer screening with mammograms at age 40, and cervical cancer screening should start at age 25.
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