LAS VEGAS (KTNV) — This weekend, Guardant Health partnered with the Pennzoil 400 race at Las Vegas Motor Speedway to spark conversations about colon cancer screening among thousands of racing fans.
While speed and adrenaline are typically what draw crowds to a NASCAR race, one group had something else on their minds entirely.
VIDEO: Jhovani Carrillo highlights the importance of detecting colon cancer early:
According to Guardant Health, 1,480 Nevadans are diagnosed with colorectal cancer each year, with just over 520 people dying from the disease. And three out of four people who die from colon cancer are not up to date with their screenings.
"If you get it in its earliest stages, stage 1 and stage 2, colon cancer is very treatable, and people sometimes get a little bit scared to think they may have cancer, so we want to teach people that they have options," Guardant Health told Channel 13.
Those options include colonoscopies, stool tests, and a new FDA-approved blood test called Shield. Anyone 45 years or older who is due for a screening can get a Shield test with a prescription from their doctor.
While Guardant Health says no tests were conducted at the event, the organization says raising awareness of colon cancer risk is a critical step in encouraging people to get screened.
The conversations took place just outside the Shield Across America bus, stationed at the speedway throughout the weekend.
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