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Preventing
Colorectal Cancer: Screening Is Key!
OAK BROOK, Ill.,
March 9 /PRNewswire/ -- March is "National Colorectal Cancer
Awareness Month" and the American Society for Gastrointestinal
Endoscopy (ASGE), representing the specialists in colorectal cancer
screening and other
digestive diseases, has an important public health message:
Colorectal cancer is largely preventable through screening. If you
are over 50 or have a family history of colorectal cancer, talk to
your doctor about getting screened.
"The important
thing to know about colorectal cancer is that screening absolutely
saves lives. Of course, any screening method is better than none,
but of all the screening methods, colonoscopy is the most effective
for two reasons. It allows us to see the entire colon and it also
allows us to remove polyps before they turn into cancer," said Dr.
Mark Pochapin, ASGE spokesperson and the Director of The Jay Monahan
Center for Gastrointestinal Health and Associate Professor of
Medicine at Weill
Medical College of Cornell University.
There are a number of examinations, tests, and
screening methods used by doctors to detect
colorectal cancer. Here is a guide to the various
methods available.
-- Stool blood
test (fecal occult blood test, or FOBT, and fecal
immunohistochemical test, or FIT): This test is used to detect
invisible amounts of blood passed during a bowel movement. Several
types of take-home kits are available for gathering the sample.
Thespecimen is then sent to a laboratory for analysis. The test is
simple and inexpensive. However, it does not detect cancer, only the
presence of blood -- which may result from other conditions. If a
test is
positive, a
complete colonoscopy must be performed.
-- Flexible
sigmoidoscopy (flex-sig): By passing a slender, lighted tube into
the lower part of the colon through the rectum, the
gastroenterologist views the rectum and about half of the colon for
signs of polyps or cancer. This procedure is less expensive than
more
complete tests,
such as colonoscopy. Flexible sigmoidoscopy can only examine part of
the colon and, if a polyp is found, a complete colonoscopy must be
done to remove it.
-- Barium enema
with air contrast: After laxatives and an enema are given, a chalky
substance is introduced into the colon, along with air to open up
the colon, allowing better X-rays to be taken. Barium enema is not
as effective for detecting polyps and cancers as colonoscopy. In
addition, if a polyp is found, a complete colonoscopy must be
done to remove it.
-- Colonoscopy:
The colonoscopy is considered by experts to be the "gold standard"
of colon screening methods. A colonoscope is a longer version of the
sigmoidoscope and is able to reach and view the entire colon. After
bowel preparation is completed to clean the colon, the scope is
passed through the rectum to examine the entire length of the colon.
Colonoscopy is typically performed under sedation. The most
important benefit of the colonoscopy is that, along with being able
view the
colon, it allows
the doctor to perform several tasks during the procedure, including
taking biopsies, removing polyps, and cauterizing sources of
bleeding.
ASGE screening
guidelines recommend that, beginning at age 50, both men and women
at average risk for developing colorectal cancer should have a
colonoscopy every 10 years. People with higher risk factors, such as
a
family history of
colon cancer, should begin earlier.
Patients are
advised to discuss their risk factors with their physician to
determine when to begin routine colorectal cancer screening and how
often they should be screened.
To learn more about
colorectal cancer screening or to find an
ASGE expert in your
area, visit
http://www.screen4coloncancer.org
.
Remember, if you
are over 50 or have a family history of colorectal cancer, talk to
your doctor about getting screened. It could save your life!
About the American
Society for Gastrointestinal Endoscopy
The American
Society for Gastrointestinal Endoscopy (ASGE), founded in 1941, is
the leader in advancing patient care and digestive health by
promoting excellence in gastrointestinal endoscopy.
Physicians and
surgeons who are members of the American Society for
Gastrointestinal Endoscopy (ASGE) have highly specialized training
in endoscopic procedures of the digestive tract. ASGE, with more
than 10,000 physician members worldwide, promotes the highest
standards for endoscopic training and practice, fosters endoscopic
research, recognizes distinguished contributions to endoscopy, and
is the foremost resource for endoscopic education. |