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COLORADO SPRINGS, COLO. -- March is National Colorectal Cancer Awareness Month. Colon cancer is the second leading cancer killer in the United States.

According to the Centers for Disease Control, in 2005 more than 72,000 men and 69,000 women were diagnosed with colon cancer.

Of those, nearly 27,000 men died from the disease along with 27,000 women.

Experts say if everybody who is 50 or older had regular screening tests done, as many as 60 percent of deaths could be prevented.

"I have always been a really active person, and in June of 2004 I just noticed some bleeding that was unusual, so I went to my primary care physician and he suggested a colonoscopy," Susan Hart said.

Soon after Hart found out she had colon cancer. At the time of her diagnosis she was only 44 years old.

"They decided to do radiation first, and then surgery on my colon, and then I did five months of chemotherapy after that," Hart said.

Luckily for Hart, her cancer was in an early stage. Doctors say due to the nature of colon cancer it is important to catch it sooner than later.

"Colon cancer arises from polyps within the colon, and how polyps form is the lining of the colon starts to grow abnormally," Dr. Jason Huff said.

Huff said it is time to worry when the growth starts to form mutations or adenomas in the polyp.

"Adenomas seem to be more common in adults who are over age 50, and actually 90 percent of colon cancers occur in adults over the age of 50," Huff said.

He said that is why it is important for everyone over the age of 50 to be regularly screened and added those with family history should think about a being tested sooner for their risk is twice as high.

"If caught early the survival rates are excellent, far exceeding 80 to 90 percent," Huff said. "Prevention is really key. We feel that if we can catch the polyps in the adenoma stage then we can prevent colon cancer."

As for the stigma that surrounds colon cancer screenings, Huff said modern technology is making them more comfortable for patients.

Huff will speak at a free educational program on March 18 at noon in the Penrose Cancer Center, Conference Room A.

To register for the program, call 719-776-5555.

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