Could Colon Cancer Screening Save Your Life? - Page 2
Q: Should I be screened for colon cancer?
A: Assessing your own personal risk factors for colon cancer is one of the first steps in deciding whether colon cancer screening is right for you. A review of your risk factors can help your doctor determine your needs. In the absence of any worrisome symptoms, your need for colon cancer screening depends largely upon your risk of colon cancer. Your risk generally increases with age, but at any age there are people with high and low colon cancer risk, depending on the presence of other risk factors.
Your risk of developing colon cancer may be higher if:
- You have an inflammatory bowel disease, such as ulcerative colitis or Crohn's disease. (Note: Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS) does not appear to increase colon cancer risk.)
- You have a history of colon polyps.
- You have been diagnosed with other cancers.
- You have a family history of hereditary cancers.
- You have a family or personal history of colon cancer.
If you have none of these risk factors, your risk of colon cancer is lower than average.
Q: When should I begin getting screened for colon cancer?
A: Together with age, the previously mentioned risk factors for colon cancer are important in determining colon cancer risk and when screening should begin.
The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force recommends that colon cancer screening begin at age 50. If you have specific risk factors for colon cancer, your doctor may recommend starting screening tests sooner than age 50.
After your initial screening, how often you have follow-up screenings for colon cancer will depend upon your symptoms, your age, your other risk factors for colon cancer, and the results of your initial screening. Only you and your doctor can decide which screening options and schedule are best for you based on your personal health profile.
Screening options for colon cancer range from a simple test to detect blood in the stool to a colonoscopy procedure that can be performed on an outpatient basis. Work with your doctor to determine which screening methods may be best for you.
In the meantime, there is much you can do to help support the health of your colon. There is no surefire way to prevent colon cancer; but certain lifestyle choices may help to reduce your risk.
How to Protect Yourself
Much of colon cancer risk deals with genetic predisposition. However, certain health habits have been identified as being potentially protective of the colon. The following health habits have been associated with a lower risk of colon cancer:
- Maintaining a healthy weight
- Limiting red meat consumption
- Eating plenty of vegetables
- Limiting alcohol intake
- Being physically active
- Eating a diet low in animal fat
Most importantly, regular screening at the appropriate time will help keep the odds in your favor. In the early stages, colon cancer is highly treatable. In many cases, spotting it early enough may be the only obstacle to a complete cure.
Cleansing the Colon? Colon therapies that attempt to prevent disease by "flushing" toxins from the colon (known as colonic irrigation, high colonics, or colon hydrotherapy) have no basis in scientific evidence. Dangers associated with this unproven practice include infection and/or death from the following causes: contaminated equipment, electrolyte depletion, or perforation of the intestinal wall.
