BALTIMORE -- About 150,000 people are diagnosed each year with colorectal cancer, but some patients who have been treated are neglecting to have follow-up screenings, which puts them at greater risk for a recurrence of the disease.

Donna Hamilton Reports
Web Extra: Dr. Debra Vachon Interview

Ceola Tabron said she put off going for a colorectal cancer screening until she was 60 years old, and her first screening revealed she had colorectal cancer.

"That was my first time, but it's not because I didn't want to get it. I was so busy, I didn't have time," she said.

Mercy Medical Center Dr. Debra Vachon treated Tabron's cancer, which was caught at an early stage.

"If you have a screening examination, and the preferred one is a colonoscopy, then we can detect a polyp early, remove it and prevent colon cancer," Vachon said.

She said cancerous polyps can grow undetected, but if treated, the outcome can be very good.

"Asymptomatic colon or rectal cancers can have a 90 to 95 percent survival rate, so it's really important to find it early. It's even better to prevent it, though," Tabron said.

Tabron underwent surgery to remove her cancer, but Vachon warned that patients aren't completely in the clear after surgery. The cancer can return, but according to the American Cancer Society, fewer than half of older patients who survive colon cancer continue to get regular screenings.

"It's important once you've had the surgery that you remember that you still need to come back so that we can find new polyps again, early, so they don't progress to a cancer," Vachon said.

Tabron has been cancer-free for five years and said she takes that advice very seriously.

"Every appointment she gives me, I'm back," Tabron said.

Vachon said that most people should be getting their first colorectal screening at age 50, but if there is a family history, you should talk to your doctor about starting earlier.

To hear more of Vachon's thoughts on colorectal cancer, click on the link above.