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What is the recommended age for screenng?
Physicians recommend screening beginning at age 50, if there are no other risk factors, such as family history. The incidence of colon cancer increases with age. Ninety percent of colon cancer diagnoses are in people over the age of 50.
What if there is a family history?
Twenty percent of people who develop colon cancer who have other family members who have had the disease. People with a first-degree relative (parent, sibling, or child) with colon cancer or adenomatous polyps* diagnosed before 60 years or two first-degree relatives (grandparent, aunt, or uncle) diagnosed at any age should begin screening at age 40 or 10 years before the youngest case in the immediate family, whichever is earlier. People diagnosed with cancer and/or who have adenomatous polyps should notify other family members.
What if you had previous cancers, ulcerative coliis or Crohn's disease
Women with a history of breast, ovarian, or endometrium cancer face an increased risk of developing colorectal cancer, as do people with inflammatory bowel disease, including ulcerative colitis and Crohn's disease. . People who have had colorectal cancer, even though it was completely removed and there was chemotherapy or radiation treatment, and people who have a history of adenomatous polyps, especially, if they were large or if there were many of them, also have an increased risk.
What is the effect of lifestyle?
Women with a history of breast, ovarian, or endometrium cancer face an increased risk of developing colorectal cancer, as do people with inflammatory bowel disease, including ulcerative colitis and Crohn's disease. . People who have had colorectal cancer, even though it was completely removed and there was chemotherapy or radiation treatment, and people who have a history of adenomatous polyps, especially, if they were large or if there were many of them, also have an increased risk.
What are comment screening tests?
Common screening tests for colorectal cancer screening include fecal occult blood testing (FOBT), sigmoidoscopy, and colonoscopy. Fecal occult blood testing uses a chemical reaction to find traces of blood in stool. A positive result on FOBT should lead to colonoscopy. Sigmoidoscopy involves looking into the rectum and lower colon through a flexible tube-shaped instrument with a camera on its tip. Colonoscopy uses a similar but longer instrument to look at the entire colon. During colonoscopy, doctors can take samples of the colon (biopsies) and remove polyps.
Newer tests that may help to screen for colorectal cancer include computed tomography, colonography ("virtual colonoscopy"), and stool tests that use DNA-based technology. "Virtual colonoscopy" uses x-rays and computers to produce multiple thin-sliced images of the inside of the colon. It takes about 10 minutes and does not require sedation, but it requires that a patient take laxatives before the test, like regular colonoscopy, and also involves exposure to radiation. Abnormal results from virtual colonoscopy need to be followed up with regular colonoscopy. A screening method that is still under study, is the DNA-based stool test. It is more expensive than FOBT but might be more accurate.