ROCK HILL -- March is National Colon Cancer Awareness Month. One Rock Hill man has urged others to schedule a screening after a colonoscopy saved him from a battle with cancer.

Connor Wentling recently turned 45-years-old. He does his best to keep healthy, but even still Wentling's doctor pushed him to schedule a colonoscopy. In 2021, the recommended age for a person's first screening was lowered from 50-years-old to 45. Wentling said his screening was simple and he was unconscious for the 30 minute procedure.

Wentling is glad he listened to his doctor's recommendation as the colonoscopy revealed a single polyp attached to his colon. Dr. Birju Shah with Rock Hill's Digestive Disease Associates and Piedmont Medical Center removed Wentling's polyp and said if it was left unchecked it would have become cancers in a matter of years. Dr. Shah confirmed that all colon cancer starts as just a small polyp.

Dr. Shah's team performs upwards of 35 colon screenings each day. The doctor said about one third of all Americans develop a polyp by the age of 45. Polyps have become more common at younger ages due to "smoking, excess use of alcohol, a diet high in red meat, obesity, a diet low in fiber, and a big one may be the increased amount of processed foods in our diet," Dr Shah said. Dr. Shah added that polyps can form with little to no warning and often will not trigger any symptoms in a person.

Doctors recommend that a follow-up screening should be completed between five and ten years after the first screening. Piedmont Medical Center offers patients an online assessment to help determine whether or not a doctor should be seen.

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