Regular screenings can help detect disease early

Colorectal cancer is the third most common cancer diagnosed in both men and women in the United States, excluding skin cancers.

The American Cancer Society estimates there will be 96,830 new cases of colon cancer in the United States in 2014. That’s the bad news.

The good news is that with regular screenings, colon cancer is largely preventable and, if caught in the early stages, very treatable.

The key to diagnosing and preventing colorectal cancer is the colonoscopy. “A colonoscopy is a medical examination that is done using a flexible tube with a light and camera on the end of it,” Dr. James Hobley, of Gastrointestinal Specialists, said. “The test is performed by a certified physician who is trained in endoscopy. The test is done to look for colon polyps, which are precancerous growths. By removal of these polyps we are able to prevent over 85 percent of the colon cancer that occurs in this country.”

A person usually cannot tell on their own if they might have polyps. Polyps may be small and produce few, if any, symptoms. For this reason, doctors recommend regular screening tests to identify  polyps before they become colon cancer.

Hobley said having a colonoscopy performed regularly should become part of the normal health care routine as people get older.

“Everyone over the age of 50 should have a colonoscopy,” Hobley said.

However, some people may need to have the test performed at an even younger age. “If there is a family history of colon polyps or colon cancer, the patient should have a colonoscopy done 10 years younger than the youngest person diagnosed,” Hobley said.

Those with a family history of colon cancer will also need to have the screening done more frequently than those with no such history. “Due to a family history, once they have their initial colonoscopy, they should repeat this every five years,” Hobley said. “Patients who are found to have colon polyps will also need to have their examinations done in a shorter time interval. If there are no polyps on examination, and the patient has no family history, then they can proceed with a 10-year interval exam.

“When you schedule a colonoscopy you should expect to consume only clear fluids the day prior to the examination.

This consists of water, juice, coffee, soda, tea, Jell-O, ICEEs or Italian ice. You may also have clear broth.”

For many people, the preparation for a colonoscopy is more trying than the actual test. Before this test, patients will have to clean out their colon. “The patient will prepare for this test by having a bowel wash out the night before the exam,” Hobley said.

Patients should plan to stay home during this prep time since they will need to visit the bathroom often.

However, many patients say that the test itself is not as bad as they thought it would be. “The patient is sedated for the examination to prevent any discomfort,” Hobley said.

“The examination is done under sedation, and therefore, the patient will need to have someone drive them home,” Hobley said. “Typically they are restricted from driving or operating heavy machinery for eight hours. Otherwise, they can return to their normal activities after the examination.”

Hobley said colonoscopies generally produce very positive outcomes.

“The typical outcome of colonoscopy is usually benign conditions. This includes polyps or other benign conditions that may be found,” Hobley said.

Most polyps discovered during the colonoscopy will be removed right then, during the examination.

The polyps can then be tested right away.

“The majority of polyps are benign; however, some polyps can be very aggressive and may even have some cancer cells within them. It is important to remove them all and have them tested with the pathologist. You can expect to get those results back in approximately one week,” he said.

Undergoing a colonoscopy and removing polyps can help prevent colorectal cancer from ever starting. Even if cancer is found, cancers found in an early stage, while they are still small and before they have spread, are more easily treated. Often when a patient is experiencing symptoms, the cancer is already more advanced and may have spread.

Nine out of 10 people whose colon cancer is discovered early will be alive five years later, and many will live a normal life span.

For all of these reasons, a colonoscopy should be considered preventive care for everyone as they get older.

– Kirk Fontenot