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If you’re over 50, obtaining a colonoscopy is essential to your overall health. The screening should take place earlier if colon cancer, Chrohn’s disease, ulcerative colitis, or polyps run in your family. Double contrast barium enemas and sigmoidoscopy are other popular screenings used to diagnose or prevent colon cancer too. Why You Should Undergo a Regular Screening for Colorectal Cancer Typically, colonoscopy is recommended above all other tests for colon cancer screenings. The 30- minute test, which is painless, is performed under sedation. Colon cancer, if it is detected early, can be treated with success. In fact, if you undergo regular screenings for colon cancer, you can prevent the disease altogether, especially if precancerous growths, such as polyps, are discovered and removed. Colon Cancer: Some Basic Information about the Disease Colon cancer, also referred to as colorectal cancer, forms in the inner wall of the colon as a malignant tumor. It affects men more often than women in the U.S. Your risk is increased for the disease if you have a history that includes such conditions as ulcerative colitis or colon polyps in your family. Because colon cancer is not marked by any type of symptomatology, a regular cancer screening is recommended. While surgery is the most common therapy used to treat the disease, chemotherapy is used as well. Understanding How Cancer Develops in the First Place To better understand how colon cancer develops and how it can spread, you need to know the difference between the types of tumors that are formed. For example, tumors are categorized as being either malignant (cancerous) or benign. Benign tumors grow within the tissue where they originate. While they may cause discomfort, and, in rare instances, death, they usually are not life-threatening nor do they spread. On the other hand, a malignant or cancerous tumor can metastasize and spread to other parts of the body. As a result, cancers are defined by where they begin. How Colon Cancer Develops Colon cancer generally forms from polyps. Therefore, removing the abnormal growths can prevent the disease. When cancer develops in the colon or rectum, the cells lining the large intestine fail to properly divide. In fact, cells may separate randomly or on their own. As a result, the divisions often lead to the growth and/or spread of polyps. As the precancerous growths gradually develop over time, it can take as long as a decade before they become cancer. How Colon Cancer Spreads If colon cancer develops locally, it may extend past the wall of the GI tract and settle in other areas. Should this happen, the patient might experience such symptoms as stomach fullness or abdominal pain. Once the disease starts to progress, it often spreads to the lymph nodes before moving on to other areas of the body, such as the liver or the lungs. Colonoscopy Testing for Colon Cancer Again, gastroenterologists usually prefer to screen cancer by way of colonoscopy. However, they may recommend such tests as a flexible sigmoidoscopy or a double contrast barium enema (DCBE) as well. Unlike the other tests though, a colonoscopy allows the doctor to view the colon in its entirety as well as biopsy or remove polyps. Not only that, the test can be used to diagnose other diseases too. While patients have to be sedated during the procedure, the painless process can be done in a minimum amount of time. Testing for Colon Cancer via Sigmoidoscopy: The Benefits and Disadvantages A flexible sigmoidoscopy, which can also be used to diagnose colorectal cancer, can be done in a relative short amount of time as well. The test, which typically does not require the use of sedation, allows the doctor to see about one-third of the colon for diagnostic purposes. There is also a small risk of infection or a possible bowel tear from taking the exam. If an abnormality is found, a colonoscopy is required to confirm the finding. Another Screening Tool: The Double Contrast Barium Enema (DCBE) Like a colonoscopy, a DCBE allows the doctor to view the entire colon. No sedation is necessary for the test, which is recommended every five years. If a suspected malignancy is found, the patient will have to undergo a colonoscopy for verification. Whatever type of screening you choose, it’s important to have the procedure done. Discuss the procedures with a gastroenterologist before making a decision. Happily, gastroenterology patients have options that can save their lives, which can be completed quickly and painlessly. About the Author: Beth Stevens is a contributing writer who has benefitted from the gastroenterology services in New Jersey. So, if you’re a New Jersey resident who has a history of colon cancer in your family, make it a point to contact the office of Atlantic Gastroenterology in Cedar Knoll, New Jersey today. You can call the facility at 973-401-0500 from Monday through Friday during the week.
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