Saturday screenings offer another opportunity to prevent colon cancer
ALLENTOWN, Pa. (Mar. 3, 2026) — If you’re busy during the week, now you can schedule your colonoscopy on a Saturday. In recognition of Colon Cancer Awareness Month, Jefferson Health is making colonoscopies available every Saturday in March at various locations throughout the Lehigh Valley region.
“The team has pulled out all the stops to break down the barriers and make colonoscopies more convenient for our health care colleagues and the community,” says Stacey Smith, MD, Chair, Department of Medicine and Chief, Division of General Internal Medicine with LVPG Internal Medicine–3080 Hamilton Blvd., Allentown.
Hazleton resident Lisa Marie Halecky can attest to the importance of getting this lifesaving screening.
She had her first colonoscopy at age 47. Fortunately she did, because her surgeon found and removed three polyps during the screening. These are small clumps of cells in the lining of the colon or rectum that are usually harmless but can develop into cancer over time. Halecky’s surgeon removed polyps at her next two colonoscopies as well.
Colonoscopies are opportunities
Colon cancer is unique in that polyps serve as a warning. Doctors can find and remove polyps during a colonoscopy before they pose a serious risk.
“Other common cancers like those of the lung, breast, prostate or pancreas do not have an identifiable precancerous stage that can be addressed to prevent the cancer from occurring in the first place,” says Anthony Auteri, MD, Chief, LVPG Gastroenterology.
“Because colon cancers almost always start as benign polyps that grow for many years before turning cancerous, colonoscopy and removal of polyps can actually prevent colon cancer.”
For this reason, regular screenings are an opportunity. “Unlike most other common malignancies where the goal is early detection, the goal of colonoscopy screening is prevention,” Dr. Auteri says. “Finding an early colon cancer is not viewed by us as a win, but rather a lost opportunity to prevent that cancer.”
There are no good excuses
Now that rates of colon cancer are rising in younger people, age recommendations for colonoscopy were recently reduced to age 45 from age 50. Health care teams are constantly working toward awareness and countering the reasons people put colonoscopies off, such as, “I don’t have symptoms” … “I have no family history” … or “I don’t want to drink all that stuff.”
“Colon cancer often has no early symptoms, and about 70 percent of cases are not genetic,” Dr. Smith says. “As far as the preparation, there are newer, faster and lower-volume colonoscopy prep options available now that make the process more comfortable.”
Halecky says the screenings are far better than the possible alternative.
“I’d say if you’re in the age range, you should speak to your clinician about getting the screening done. If you’re clear, you don’t have to go back for 10 years,” she says. “And if you’re not, you may have started saving your life.”
About Jefferson
Jefferson is reimagining healthcare and higher education to create unparalleled value throughout Pennsylvania and New Jersey. More than 65,000 people strong, Jefferson is dedicated to providing high-quality, compassionate clinical care for patients; making our communities healthier and stronger; preparing tomorrow’s professional leaders for 21st-century careers; and creating new knowledge through basic/programmatic, clinical and applied research. Thomas Jefferson University, home of Sidney Kimmel Medical College, Jefferson College of Nursing, and the Kanbar College of Design, Engineering and Commerce, dates back to 1824 and today comprises 10 colleges and three schools offering 200+ undergraduate and graduate programs to more than 8,300 students. Jefferson Health, nationally ranked as one of the top 15 not-for-profit health care systems in the country and the largest provider in the Philadelphia and Lehigh Valley areas, serves patients through millions of encounters each year at 33 hospital campuses and more than 700 outpatient and urgent care locations throughout the region. Jefferson Health Plans, through Health Partners Plans, Inc., is a not-for-profit managed healthcare organization offering a broad range of health coverage options to more than 370,000 members for more than 40 years.
Information provided to TVL by:
Priscilla Turbitt
