Colon Cancer Screening
According to the Colorectal Cancer Alliance, colorectal cancer is the third most commonly diagnosed cancer and the second leading cause of cancer death in men and women combined in the United States. If caught in its earliest stage with colon cancer screening, when colon cancer is easiest to treat, the survival rate is greater than 90 percent.
That’s why it’s important to be screened on a regular basis if you are 45 or older or at risk for colon cancer. Risk factors include:
- Age (more prevalent over the age of 45)
- Personal history of precancerous polyps or inflammatory bowel disease
- Having a family member with colon cancer or precancerous polyps
- Having an inherited syndrome such as Lynch Syndrome or familial adenomatous polyposis (FAP)
- Being African-American
- Being overweight, obese, and sedentary
- Smoking
- Excessive drinking
North Shore Gastroenterology provides several tests that screen for colorectal cancer. These tests include:
- Stool-based tests, which check your feces for signs of cancer. This is a less invasive and easier means of screening. However, these tests need to be done more often.
- Visual exams that look at the structure of your colon and rectum to detect any abnormal areas. This can be done with a tube-like instrument (a scope) with a light and miniature video camera on the end, which is inserted into the rectum, or with diagnostic imaging (X-ray).
The Colorectal Cancer Alliance recommends screening for colorectal cancer for adults with an average risk of colon cancer beginning at age 45 and continuing until age 75 using fecal occult blood testing, sigmoidoscopy, or colonoscopy. If you have one or more risk factors for the disease, you should begin screening earlier and be screened more frequently, or as recommended by your gastroenterologist.
Colon Cancer Screening in Brooklyn & Westlake, OH
If it’s time for you to begin colon cancer screening or you are at risk for colon cancer, call North Shore Gastroenterology at (440) 808-1212 to schedule an appointment with one of our gastroenterologists in Westlake and Brooklyn, Ohio or you can request one online.