Colorectal cancer screening. (Women's Health Adviser).

Cancer experts are calling on ob.gyns. to promote colon cancer screening, saying that they are in a unique position to help decrease deaths from this highly curable disease.

About 80% of women think of their ob.gyn. as their primary care physician, providing a perfect opportunity for ob.gyns. to improve colorectal cancer screening rates, especially in older women.

Sixty percent of Americans aged 50 years or older don't get screened for colorectal cancer. Many of these individuals say that their physican never recommended screening for the disease.

Last summer, in an effort to increase the number of people who do get regular screening, the US. Preventive Services Task Force strengthened its position on screening for colorectal cancer, strongly recommending" that all adults aged 50 years and older be screened for the disease.

Colorectal cancer is one of the most treatable cancers, with a 5-year survival rate of up to 90% for early-stage tumors.

But once the cancer metastasizes, the 5-year survival rate plummets to less than 10%.

Currently, only 37% of colorectal cancers are detected in the earliest, most treatable, stages according to data provided by the American Cancer Society (ACS). This poor detection rate is directly associated with poor screening.