Cancer experts hope a new villain, Polyp Man, will help consumers talk about colorectal cancer.

        The character, a cartoon-style bad guy in a bulbous red suit, puts a humorous spin on a disease that's deadly serious, says the American Cancer Society.

        An estimated 148,300 new cases of colorectal cancer will be diagnosed this year, and more than 56,000 Americans will die of colorectal cancer in 2002.

        “Fewer than 25 percent of Americans follow the American Cancer Society screening guidelines,” says Michelle Jones, a spokeswoman for the cancer society's Ohio Division. “Patients need to become their own advocates and talk to their doctors about the most appropriate screenings for them.”

        In the Cops-style ad campaign, two men in white coats chase Polyp Man through an alley or into a woman's kitchen where he's stuffing himself with fatty foods, then wrestle him to the ground and haul him off in handcuffs.

        The slogan: Get the test, get the polyp, get the cure. The message: Early detection of colorectal cancer saves lives.

        Dr. Janice Rafferty, a colorectal surgeon with UC Physicians and the University of Cincinnati, is all for anything that gets Americans to talk about colorectal cancer and its risk factors.

        “If people can joke about it and talk about it in a lighthearted manner, it may be a more appropriate topic for conversation,” she says.

        Not counting skin cancer, colorectal cancer is the third most commonly diagnosed cancer in the United States and Canada, according to data from the National Colorectal Cancer Research Alliance.

        Most colorectal cancers start out as small polyps, or “bumps” of tissue, growing inside the colon or rectum. Not all polyps become cancerous, but detecting and removing them early prevents the change. It can take anywhere from five to 15 years for a polyp to become cancerous.

        Most of us are too squeamish to talk about colorectal cancer symptoms or screenings, Dr. Rafferty says, but that attitude means thousands of cases are missed until it's too late.

        Warning signs for colorectal cancer include:

        • A persistent change in bowel habits

        • Blood in the stool or bleeding from the rectum

        • Abdominal pain

        • Unexplained weight loss

        • Tiredness or anemia

        Several screenings are available for colorectal cancer, but many patients are reluctant to get them until they start showing symptoms, which is usually too late to prevent cancer. Screenings include:

        • Fecal occult blood test (Hemoccult): A stool sample is collected in the patient's home and sent into a laboratory. The test is easy, Dr. Rafferty says, but it's not very accurate. It's recommended yearly starting at age 50.

        • Sigmoidoscopy: An outpatient procedure that screens the lower third of the colon. It's recommended every five years starting at age 50.

        • Colonoscopy: ""The gold standard,” Dr. Rafferty says. Patients must take a laxative before the procedure and be sedated during it, but the screening covers the entire colon. It's recommended every 10 years starting at age 50.

        • Double contrast barium enema: The procedure detects the presence of large polyps, but can't spot small growths or allow for the removal of any polyps that are founded. It's recommended every five to 10 years beginning at age 50.

        “The most important detector is the patient paying attention to what their body is telling them, as well as being educated about what our current screening recommendations and guidelines are,” Dr. Rafferty says.

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