7 things you should know
about colon cancer
Newswise — Even after Katie Couric
showed us all that it’s not that bad, the thought of a colonoscopy
makes most people squirm.
Unpleasant or not, colon cancer
screening is essential to preventing this second most deadly cancer.
It’s not enough to look out for symptoms. If you start experiencing
signs of colon cancer, the disease is likely to be advanced.
“Colorectal cancer screening has
not been widely adopted among the population, despite its ability to
save lives. We must move past this barrier if we want to make a
significant impact on this disease,” says D. Kim Turgeon, M.D.,
clinical associate professor of gastroenterology at the U-M Medical
School.
Here, in time for Colon Cancer
Awareness Month, experts from the University of Michigan
Comprehensive Cancer Center share what you need to know about colon
cancer:
1. It’s the second biggest cancer
killer, behind lung cancer, and the third most common cancer in both
men and women. More than 147,000 Americans will be diagnosed with
colorectal cancer this year and some 55,000 will die from it. The
earlier you can spot a cancerous tumor, the better the chance for a
cure. Colonoscopy is the best tool to detect and remove suspicious
polyps.
2. Colonoscopy is the best
screening choice for women. Using flexible sigmoidoscopy, an
alternative test, and a fecal occult blood test, which looks for
blood in the stool, catches the majority of polyps in men. But U-M
researchers, led by Philip Schoenfeld, M.D., found 65 percent of
advanced precancerous polyps in women would have been missed with
these tests. The researchers found that polyps are more likely to
develop in different places in men and women, with women’s polyps
occurring deeper into the colon where the sigmoidoscopy can’t reach.
3. Researchers are working on
tests that are less invasive, more comfortable – and just as
reliable. Researchers at U-M are looking at virtual colonoscopies,
using tools such as CT and MRI to scan the colon and identify
polyps. A small thin tube is inserted into the rectum and used with
the X-ray scans to take two-dimensional pictures of the length of
the colon. These images are put together to create a
three-dimensional model. The procedure is more comfortable than a
traditional colonoscopy and takes less time.
Turgeon is part of a multicenter
trial to identify biomarkers in blood or stool samples that might
suggest colon cancer. Finding a protein in stool samples could
provide a more reliable early indicator of colon cancer without
requiring a colonoscopy (but in the meantime, colonoscopy is still
your best bet!).
4. Fewer than half of all men and
women surveyed were up to date on their colon screenings. Women have
gotten the message about yearly mammograms and Pap smears, and men
know to have their prostate checked. But U-M researcher Ruth Carlos,
M.D., has found colon cancer screenings lag behind for both sexes.
She is leading a clinical trial that seeks to provide educational
information about colon cancer screenings during mammograms in the
hopes of encouraging more women to get their colon checked. She
believes screenings such as mammograms and PSA tests for prostate
cancer provide a teachable moment to encourage other screenings
habits.
5. Colonoscopy can remove any
precancerous polyps before they become malignant. All in one test,
you can get tested and treated. By stopping these polyps in their
tracks, periodic colonoscopy could prevent as many as 90 percent of
colon cancers.
6. Age is the No. 1 risk factor
for colon cancer. In fact, 91 percent of colon cancers are diagnosed
in people age 50 or older. The American Cancer Society recommends
people 50 or older be screened regularly for colorectal cancer.
Screening methods include colonoscopy, flexible sigmoidoscopy, fecal
occult blood test and digital rectal exam.
7. You can help save your
friend’s life too. The U-M Cancer Center is sponsoring the Polyp
Pest, a placard that hangs on your bathroom door to remind you to
get your colonoscopy. When you’ve had yours, you hand the Polyp Pest
off to a friend, encouraging him or her to get screened as well. To
have a Polyp Pest sent to you, go to
http://www.cancer.med.umich.edu/learn/colonscreening.htm.