BANGOR – The American Cancer Society’s mantra in March: Colon cancer – get the test, get the polyp, get the cure.

Colorectal cancer, commonly referred to as colon cancer, is the second leading cause of cancer death in the United States, claiming more lives than either breast or prostate cancer.

According to the American Cancer Society, 800 people in Maine will be diagnosed with colon cancer this year, and 310 will die from it. Contrary to the belief that colon cancer is a man’s disease, the unfortunate reality is that both men and women are at risk. In addition, African Americans are at increased risk and are more likely to be diagnosed when the disease is at an advanced stage.

The American Cancer Society is using March’s National Colorectal Cancer Awareness Month as an opportunity to stress the importance of prevention and early detection for women as well as men.

What many Americans don’t know is that colon cancer is one of the most preventable types of cancer. Studies show that early detection and treatment can reduce deaths from this disease, yet only 38 percent of colon cancers are detected in the earliest and most treatable stage.

Nationally, people found to have colon cancers at an early stage have five-year survival rates of 90 percent. For colon cancers found at a later, more advanced stage, the five-year survival rate drops to less than 10 percent.

Factors associated with increased risk for colon cancer, and information on prevention, early detection, and treatment of the disease, may be found at www.cancer.org or by calling the society’s National Cancer Information Center at (800) ACS-2345.