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15
May
2024
|
11:36 AM
America/New_York
2 MINUTE READ
Summary
This cancer screening is more important than ever. Here’s what you need to know.
Getting a colonoscopy probably isn’t on your bucket list – but if you’re an adult over the age of 45, it’s a must. Colorectal cancer is killing more adults in their 40s than ever before, and nobody knows why.
A colonoscopy is the best and most thorough screening for colorectal cancer. If you’re at average risk for colorectal cancer, you can start screening when you turn 45. You might need to start screening earlier if you’re at increased risk (if you have family history, for example, or a condition like IBD).
What to expect
Most colonoscopies take place in an outpatient setting – like a clinic, doctor's office, or surgi-center. People with health complications or other risk might be seen in a hospital. During a colonoscopy, a doctor uses a long, thin, flexible lighted tube to examine the lining of your colon and search for polyps (small clumps of cells on the lining of your colon) or signs of cancer. The procedure takes about 30 minutes, and you’ll be sedated or under anesthesia, so you won’t feel anything.
Polyps may be removed during the procedure. You may feel a little bloating afterward, but that should pass within a few hours. If the doctor removed polyps or performed a biopsy, there may be a small amount of blood in your stool. Because you’ll have been sedated or under anesthesia, you won’t be allowed to drive afterward, so make arrangements beforehand for a ride home.
By the next day, you should be back to normal. Many people take a nap after getting home and wake feeling as though nothing happened.
Before your visit
Because your doctor needs to see the lining of your colon, you’ll have to restrict what you eat in the 24 hours before your colonoscopy. You’ll also be given instructions and medications that will empty your colon. New medicines have made preparing your colon much easier than in the past, but there’s no sugar coating it: you’ll be spending some time in the bathroom. That’s a small inconvenience compared to getting colon cancer.
The Centers for Disease Control recommends that patients who are not at an increased risk for cancer get a colonoscopy every ten years.
There are other ways to detect colorectal cancer that you may want to consider. Keep in mind that these tests are not a substitute for a colonoscopy – in fact, if you get a positive result, the next step is to get a colonoscopy. You should talk to your doctor about the options and decide together what’s best for you.
At-home stool tests
- The guaiac-based fecal occult blood test (gFOBT) is a test you administer yourself. You use a kit from your health care provider to collect a small amount of stool that you then send off to a lab that checks for the presence of blood, an indicator that polyps or cancer may be present. Recommended frequency: Yearly.
- The fecal immunochemical test (FIT) is similar to the gFOBT, but uses antibodies to check for blood. Recommended frequency: Yearly.
- The FIT-DNA test, or stool DNA test, combines a FIT with a test that checks the stool for altered DNA. For this test, you collect an entire bowel movement and send it to a lab. Recommended frequency: Every three years.
The most important thing about colon cancer screening is that you actually do it. Studies have shown that colonoscopies are effective at reducing the risk of cancer significantly and can cut the risk of dying from that cancer by as much as 50%. No, it’s not how you want to spend your day, and yes, it is very easy to find reasons to put it off. But given the consequences of colon cancer – serious illness, losing some or all of your colon, or death – and the increase in cases in recent years, being vigilant about colon cancer is crucial for everyone 45 years or older. If you have a family history of colon cancer or a previously had an abnormal colonoscopy, you may need a colonoscopy earlier than age 45 or more frequently than every 10 years.
Horizon Health News is for informational purposes only and is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified health provider with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition.
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