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Check Early, Save Your Life Detecting colon cancer in the earliest stages increases the chances of survival dramatically. Here's what you need to know 
As effective as cancer screening can be, most tests are designed to detect cancer after it has already appeared in its earliest form but is still treatable. Not so, the colonoscopy, which can spot problems before colorectal cancer develops. Unfortunately, as beneficial as the test is, only half of adults over age 50 who are recommended to have a colonoscopy do so, and that worries health care experts. "I think part of the problem is that it�s such a personal area of the body; people are nervous about having someone see it,� says Yolandra Johnson, M.D. Preparation also makes some people squeamish, because patients are required to cleanse their systems before the procedure, according to Dr. Johnson, a general gastroenterologist and senior attending physician at Evanston Northwestern Healthcare, Evanston, Ill. However, Dr. Johnson and other health professionals urge adults to weigh the discomfort, which is mostly psychological, against the benefits. The more you know about getting tested for colorectal cancer, the more at ease you may feel, according to experts. By detecting and removing precancerous polyps, fleshy growths in the colon or rectum, you may avoid developing colorectal cancer, which is the second leading cancer killer in the U.S., according to the Centers for Disease Control. Even if tests show colorectal cancer, you're better off knowing early. "The only good thing about colon cancer is that it takes time to develop," says James E. Allison, MD, adjunct investigator with Kaiser Permanente, Oakland, Calif. "If you find it in stage one or two, your five-year survival rate is good. If it's discovered later your chance of surviving is difficult," says Dr. Allison. Starting at age 50, you should have a colonoscopy once every 10 years, if you're polyp-free. If polyps were discovered or if you have a family history of colon cancer, talk to your physician about a testing schedule. If you're African-American, start your screenings at age 45, Dr. Johnson says. Right now an actual colonoscopy is considered the gold standard for detecting colorectal cancer. A physician uses a narrow lighted tube to look through five to six feet of colon to detect polyps. Virtual colonoscopies, which aren't invasive, are a new tool in the cancer fight. "In the virtual colonoscopy you don't have the risk of perforation, which is rare, but happens. The downside is that you still have to prep, which is the hard part. If you have a problem in the virtual, you'll still need an actual colonoscopy," Dr. Johnson says. Dr. Allison sees some advantages to the FIT detection concept, which stands for fecal immunochemical tests. The test can be done at home by the patient and doesn't require a restricted diet. The FIT screening, being studied at Kaiser Permanente and used by its members, has a greater success at detecting colorectal cancer than the stool screening tests that are frequently used, according to Dr. Allison. Substituting an annual FIT screening for a colonoscopy is controversial and may not be recommended by your physician, so you should ask when making the decision. "No test is perfect, but any is better than none," Dr. Allison says. |
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Copyright © 2007 Cecil Whig. All Rights Reserved.