With the National Cancer Institute estimating more than 52,000 colon cancer-related deaths in 2007, recent figures show that only half of all Americans age 50 and above have had a screening colonoscopy.
“We really can do better than that at screening and prevention,” said Cooper University Hospital gastroenterologist Joshua P. DeSipio, M.D.
“Colon cancer can be prevented by detecting and removing precancerous polyps. That’s why screening is so important,” Dr. DeSipio said.
Colon polyps – abnormal growths of tissue (tumor) projecting from the lining of the colon – are a common occurrence as people age. While they typically cause no symptoms, polyps are a concern because of the potential for colon cancer being present microscopically, and for the risk of colon polyps transforming with time into colon cancer.
“We do know that polyps that arise from the normal lining of the colon can develop into cancer over time,” Dr. DeSipio said.
As most colon polyps are asymptomatic, they usually are discovered during a screening colonoscopy. Colonoscopy enables gastroenterologists to examine the inside of the colon using a colonoscope inserted in the rectum while the patient is sedated. A colonoscope is a thin tube-like instrument with a light and a lens for viewing. It also has a tool to remove polyps that can be checked under a microscope for signs of disease.
“Because polyps can be present in the colon for years before invasive cancer develops, it’s important to find them before they’re cancerous and take them out,” Dr. DeSipio said.
Even though polyps don’t always become cancerous, all polyps discovered during colonoscopy are routinely removed to reduce the likelihood of developing cancer in the future.
Colon polyps – abnormal growths of tissue (tumor) projecting from the lining of the colon – are a common occurrence as people age.
“Ninety percent of colon cancers are diagnosed in people over the age of 50, which is why age 50 is the recommended time to start screening for colon cancer,” Dr. DeSipio said. “Yet, half of the people who should be getting screened are not. That’s an alarming statistic considering that colon cancer is preventable and treatable when caught in its early stages.”
Dr. DeSipio blamed fear of the procedure as one of the reasons so many people fail to get screened.
“One of the largest barriers to colonoscopy is the notion that it’s a very difficult test,” Dr. DeSipio said. “But, for the millions of American men and women whose risk for colon cancer naturally increases with age, I ask them this: Are you going to take action to prevent cancer with a simple test, or are you going to go through the rest of your life rolling the dice?
“Screening works at finding polyps and removing them,” Dr. DeSipio added, “and the more people take advantage of its benefits, the better off they’ll be as their lives go on. Everyone age 50 and older should talk to his or her doctor about getting screened for colon cancer. It is the power we have to prevent suffering and death from this exceedingly common disease.”