{"id":1986,"date":"2008-01-01T16:05:58","date_gmt":"2008-01-01T20:05:58","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/ehealth.cooperhealth.org\/?p=1986"},"modified":"2008-01-01T16:05:58","modified_gmt":"2008-01-01T20:05:58","slug":"the-importance-of-colon-cancer-screening","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.cooperhealth.org\/ehealth\/2008\/01\/01\/the-importance-of-colon-cancer-screening\/","title":{"rendered":"The Importance of Colon Cancer Screening"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"The<\/a>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.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe really can do better than that at screening and prevention,\u201d said Cooper University Hospital gastroenterologist Joshua P. DeSipio, M.D.<\/p>\n

\u201cColon cancer can be prevented by detecting and removing precancerous polyps. That\u2019s why screening is so important,\u201d Dr. DeSipio said.<\/p>\n

Colon polyps \u2013 abnormal growths of tissue (tumor) projecting from the lining of the colon \u2013 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.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe do know that polyps that arise from the normal lining of the colon can develop into cancer over time,\u201d Dr. DeSipio said.<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

“Because polyps can be present in the colon for years before invasive cancer develops, it\u2019s important to find them before they\u2019re cancerous and take them out,” Dr. DeSipio said.<\/p>\n

Even though polyps don\u2019t always become cancerous, all polyps discovered during colonoscopy are routinely removed to reduce the likelihood of developing cancer in the future.<\/p>\n

Colon polyps \u2013 abnormal growths of tissue (tumor) projecting from the lining of the colon \u2013 are a common occurrence as people age.
\n\u201cNinety 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,\u201d Dr. DeSipio said. \u201cYet, half of the people who should be getting screened are not. That\u2019s an alarming statistic considering that colon cancer is preventable and treatable when caught in its early stages.\u201d<\/p>\n

Dr. DeSipio blamed fear of the procedure as one of the reasons so many people fail to get screened.<\/p>\n

\u201cOne of the largest barriers to colonoscopy is the notion that it\u2019s a very difficult test,\u201d Dr. DeSipio said. \u201cBut, 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?<\/p>\n

\u201cScreening works at finding polyps and removing them,\u201d Dr. DeSipio added, \u201cand the more people take advantage of its benefits, the better off they\u2019ll 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.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe really can do better than that at screening and prevention,\u201d said Cooper University Hospital gastroenterologist Joshua P. DeSipio, M.D.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[141,210,271],"class_list":{"0":"entry","1":"post","2":"publish","3":"author-admin","4":"has-excerpt","5":"has-more-link","6":"post-1986","8":"format-standard","9":"category-ehealth-connection","10":"post_tag-colon-cancer","11":"post_tag-digestive-health-institute","12":"post_tag-gastroenterology"},"yoast_head":"\nThe Importance of Colon Cancer Screening - eHealth Connection<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/blogs.cooperhealth.org\/ehealth\/2008\/01\/01\/the-importance-of-colon-cancer-screening\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"The Importance of Colon Cancer Screening - eHealth Connection\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"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. \u201cWe really can do better than that at screening and prevention,\u201d said Cooper University Hospital gastroenterologist Joshua P. 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