In observance of National Colorectal Cancer Awareness Month, Wayne State University Family Medicine is offering free colorectal cancer screening Those interested can pick up a free screening kit at 1135 W. University Dr., Suite 250, Rochester Hills, on or before Saturday, March 26, and complete it at home.

Then, they can return their completed kit from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. on March 26 for free lab processing and to discuss their risks for colon cancer with a Wayne State University Family Medicine physician. Patients unable to complete the kit before March 26 may return on a later date for free lab processing.

Colorectal cancer affects men and women of all racial and ethnic groups, and it is most often found in people age 50 and older. Colorectal cancer is the third most common type of non-skin cancer in men (after prostate cancer and lung cancer) and in women (after breast cancer and lung cancer). It is the second most fatal cancer in the United States, but it is also nearly 100 percent curable when caught at an early stage.

The most common symptoms of colorectal cancer are changes in bowel movements, including persistent constipation or diarrhea, dark patches of blood in the stool, abdominal bloating or discomfort, loss of appetite, unexplained fatigue and weight loss. Risk factors for men and women include age over 50, family history, polyps on the inner wall of the colon or rectum, poor diet, diabetes, and poor lifestyle factors such as drinking alcohol, smoking, lack of exercise and being overweight.

There is no charge to participate in the screening. For more information, call (248) 650-6301.

The Wayne State University Physician Group (WSUPG) is one of southeast Michigan's largest non-profit multi-specialty physician practice groups, with more than 2,000 physicians providing primary and specialty medical services in close to 1 million patient visits annually. WSUPG has more than 100 locations, and affiliations with the Detroit Medical Center, Oakwood Healthcare System, Karmanos Cancer Center, Crittenton Hospital Medical Center, St. Joseph Mercy Oakland and St. John Providence Health System. As faculty members of the Wayne State University School of Medicine, WSUPG's physicians and staff are on the forefront of technology and bringing the latest in medical advancements to the bedside. In addition to its substantial clinical practice, WSUPG is training the Michigan physicians of tomorrow by providing instructors for more than 1,200 medical students and 900 residents each year.