Medically reviewed by Ayanna Lewis, M.D.
Getting screened is the easiest way to decrease your threat of colon most cancers, a illness that impacts 1 in 25 ladies and is the second-leading trigger of most cancers dying in ladies beneath 50.
The excellent news — significantly for many who actually dread the concept of a colonoscopy — is that there are various strategies of screening for colon most cancers, and a few of them might be carried out from the consolation of your individual house. However with all of the testing choices out there, how are you aware which one to decide on?
Understanding the various kinds of colon most cancers screening could assist you determine which one is greatest for you.
Why is colon most cancers screening so essential?
Colon most cancers typically takes about 10 years to develop. For most individuals, it begins when a gene mutation impacts one of many cells that line your colon. This mutated cell divides and grows, forming a clump of cells referred to as a polyp.
Whereas many polyps are benign (non-cancerous), some could ultimately flip into most cancers. Screening helps to search out polyps earlier than they’ve an opportunity to grow to be cancerous.
It might probably additionally spot most cancers that has already began within the early levels, when it’s simpler to deal with. The 5-year survival price of individuals with early stage colorectal most cancers is round 90% however drops to round 13% if the most cancers has unfold to different components of the physique.
The present suggestion is that individuals with a median threat of colon most cancers begin screening at age 45.
Are some teams at greater threat?
Based on the American Most cancers Society, Black folks in the US are 20% extra more likely to get colorectal most cancers — and 40% extra more likely to die from it — than different racial teams. Genetic variations, life-style components and environmental components account for a few of the disparity, however different causes embody lack of entry to healthcare and the shortage of means to pay for healthcare.
Consultants are working to assist shut this hole, organizing community-based efforts, such because the Colorectal Most cancers Screening Intervention Program (CCSIP) to boost consciousness and make screening extra accessible.
What’s a colonoscopy, anyway?
A colonoscopy is an outpatient process the place a physician makes use of a tiny video digicam connected to a protracted, versatile tube to examine the colon for most cancers, in addition to polyps and different crimson flags, reminiscent of irritated tissue.
The tube is inserted into the rectum whereas the affected person is sedated, and there’s no ache throughout or after the process.
A serious good thing about the colonoscopy is that docs don’t simply search for doubtlessly problematic polyps — they will additionally take away them. And in case your outcomes are regular, you received’t want one other colonoscopy for 10 years. This is the reason colonoscopy is taken into account the “gold customary” for colon most cancers detection.
A colonoscopy comes with the identical small dangers (reminiscent of bleeding and an infection) as any medical process, however the advantages outweigh the potential hurt for many sufferers.
What are the opposite screening choices for colon most cancers?
There are a couple of totally different screening choices that contain utilizing an at-home check package that search for indicators of most cancers.
- The guaiac-based fecal occult blood check (gFOBT) makes use of a chemical referred to as guaiac to search out blood within the stool. You get a check package out of your physician and use it at house to gather a pattern that’s examined in a lab. This check is completed yearly.
- The fecal immunochemical check (FIT) makes use of antibodies as an alternative of guaiac to detect blood within the stool, however in any other case it’s the identical because the gFOBT.
- The FIT-DNA check, reminiscent of Cologuard, (often known as the stool DNA check) is the FIT plus one other check that checks for modified DNA within the stool. For this check, a complete bowel motion is collected at house and despatched to a lab. It’s carried out not less than each three years.
Blood-based exams for colon most cancers, reminiscent of Defend, are newer choices that can be utilized by folks of common threat.
An alternative choice is a versatile sigmoidoscopy, which is actually a restricted colonoscopy that solely checks the rectum and decrease third of the colon for polyps or most cancers. It’s carried out each 5 years.
A process referred to as a computed tomography (CT) colonoscopy (or digital colonoscopy) makes use of a CT scan to take footage of the colon, making it much less invasive than the normal colonoscopy. It’s carried out each 5 years.
It’s essential to notice that if any of those screenings come again optimistic or irregular, you’ll want a conventional colonoscopy.
However for individuals who’d simply as quickly keep away from a colonoscopy — or are having a tough time getting an appointment due to a backlog — these screenings are a lot higher than nothing.
Which colon most cancers screening choice is greatest?
Very like train, the “greatest” colon most cancers screening is the one you’ll really do. You’ll must take your private well being and insurance coverage scenario into consideration, so it’s a good suggestion to speak via your choices with a healthcare supplier.
If value is a priority, the Colorectal Most cancers Alliance and Colonoscopy Help can assist you discover free or low-cost screenings close to you.
This academic useful resource was created with assist from Daiichi Sankyo.
From Your Website Articles
Associated Articles Across the Net
