If you're 50 or older, or if you have a family history, a screening test for colon cancer could save your life.
Colon cancer is the third most commonly diagnosed cancer and the second leading cause of cancer death in men and women combined in the U.S. Despite its high incidence, colon cancer is one of the most detectable and, if found early enough, most treatable forms of cancer.
Colon cancer usually starts from polyps in the colon or rectum. A polyp is a growth that shouldn't be there and over time, some polyps can turn into cancer.
Screening tests can find polyps, so they can be removed before they turn into cancer. Screening tests can also find colon cancer early. When it is found early, the chance of being cured is good.
Beginning at age 50, both men and women should follow a colorectal cancer screening schedule. Individuals should talk with a physician to determine their most appropriate screening options.
Tests that find polyps and cancer
• Flexible sigmoidoscopy every 5 years* physicians use a flexible,
lighted tube (sigmoidoscope) to look at the interior walls of the rectum
and part of the colon
• Colonoscopy every 10 years - physicians use a flexible, lighted tube (colonoscope)
to look at the interior walls of the rectum and the entire colon, should be
done every 10 years.
• Double-contrast barium enema every 5 years*, or
• CT colonography (virtual colonoscopy) every 5 years*
Tests that primarily find cancer
• Yearly fecal occult blood test (gFOBT)*,** checks for hidden blood
in three consecutive stool samples, should be done every year.
• Yearly fecal immunochemical test (FIT) every year*,**, or
* If the test is positive, a colonoscopy should be done.
** The multiple stool take-home test should be used. One test done by
the doctor in the office is not adequate for testing. A colonoscopy should
be done if the test is positive.
To contact a gastroenterologist with Doylestown Hospital call:
Central Bucks Specialists or Gastrointestinal Associates
599 W State Street, Suite 200 708 Shady Retreat Road, Suite 9
Doylestown, PA 18901 Doylestown, PA 18901
215-345-6050 215-348-7238
|
