Colon Cancer Screening: What You Should Know

When should I be screened for colon cancer?

Without a family history of colon cancer, colonoscopy is recommended starting at age 50 for both men and women. If your parents or siblings have a history of colon cancer, screening is recommended starting at age 40 or 10 years earlier than your family member’s age when they were diagnosed – whichever comes earlier. 

I’ve heard the prep is horrible. Is this true?

A good bowel prep with a specific diet are crucial to a successful clean out, so your physician can have a careful look inside your colon (large intestine). There are a variety of different types of bowel prep solutions available, some of which are lower in volume and can be mixed with a sports drink for easier consumption. Despite what you may have heard, most patients actually tolerate the prep fairly well.

Does colon cancer have any symptoms? Do I still need to get screened if I don’t have symptoms?

Abdominal pain, change in bowel habit, rectal bleeding and unexplained weight loss are all symptoms that may require a colonoscopy for further investigation, however symptoms of colon cancer can be very subtle or non-existent. The intent of a screening colonoscopy is to look for and remove polyps in patients without any symptoms.

Do I really need a colonoscopy? How is it different than the stool tests I’ve seen on TV?

A colonoscopy is by far the gold standard of detecting colon cancer and removing polyps all in one test. Polyps are small pieces of tissue inside the lining of the colon. They can be pre-cancerous, and if not removed, have the possibility of developing into cancers. We remove any polyps we find during your colonoscopy right away. If your results are normal, you will not need another colonoscopy for up to 10 years.

Other tests, including stool tests for DNA or blood, detect small amounts of blood or chemicals. If those tests are abnormal, a colonoscopy will still be recommended. Some of these tests have a high false positive rate, which can be stressful because it doesn’t necessarily mean you have colon cancer. Also, these tests need to be performed yearly or every couple of years.

What are some of the risk factors I should consider?

A colonoscopy is very safe and usually tolerated well. Patients are able to go home after the procedure. Like any procedure, there is a small risk with medications used for sedation. During the procedure, your response to sedation is carefully monitored by an anesthesiologist or CRNA. A colonoscopy itself carries a very low risk of complications which can include bleeding from a polyp removal or perforation (injury to the colon lining).

Is colon cancer treatable?

Colon cancer, if caught at an early stage, can be treatable and curable by means of surgery, with or without chemotherapy. The advantage of colonoscopy as a means for colon cancer screening is the ability to remove those pre-cancerous polyps before they become actual colon cancer. The key to prevention is to know your risk factors and have a colonoscopy when it’s recommended.