Colon Cancer Screening Specialist

What is colon cancer screening?

Colon cancer screening is an evaluation designed to determine if you might be at risk for colon cancer. It involves a thorough personal and family medical history to look for risk factors for colon cancer, such as a family history of the disease or a personal history of smoking, followed by a colonoscopy to look inside your colon and your rectum to determine if fleshy growths called polyps are present. The American Cancer Society recommends screenings every 10 years beginning at age 45 if you don't have personal or family risk factors for the disease. If you do have risk factors for colon cancer, screening should begin at age 40 and take place every five years.

It has been in the press recently that colon cancer is occurring in greater frequency among younger adults. Colon cancer is now the leading cause of cancer death in people under the age of 50. To put it another way, it is now estimated that 20% of all people diagnosed with colon cancer are under the age of 50. The cause of this is presently unknown though several theories have been suggested, e.g. toxins and pesticides, change of colon flora due to diets and antibiotics.

Should someone develop symptoms including a change of bowel habits or blood in their stool, it should not be ignored and it should prompt a physical exam that includes a rectal exam.

Colon cancer typically starts from a growth in the colon called a polyp. One-in-four of us will develop a polyp and it is estimated at one-in-four polyps with develop into malignancy over time. That means that our individual risk of colon cancer is ¼ of ¼ or 6%. 6% of Americans develop colon cancer. Colonoscopy’s goal is to identify and remove polyps from the colon before they can turn into cancer. This is different from other methods of screening ,namely Cologuard, where the test hopes to find colon cancer early to allow early surgery and save lives. The stool test looks for two of the most common genes of colon cancer in stool along with the presence of blood in the stool.

It does not identify the majority of colon polyps. At colonoscopy, our technology utilizes AI as part of colonoscopy. We use a computer system programmed with 11 million images of colon polyps. It looks at the same video stream live and highlights areas it wants me to look at in an effort to identify all polyps. National guidelines now recommend screening colonoscopy in the asymptomatic individual without family history to start at age 45.

Does colon cancer cause symptoms?

In its very early stages, colon cancer typically causes no symptoms, which is one reason why routine screenings are so important. As the disease progresses, symptoms can include:

• bloody stools

• rectal bleeding

• changes in the consistency of your bowel movements

• changes in your bowel movement habits

• persistent abdominal cramping and bloating

• weakness

• fatigue

• unexplained weight loss

Are colonic polyps cancerous?

Not always; in fact, most polyps are not cancerous. However, because polyps typically cause no symptoms until they grow large enough to interfere with your bowel function, having regular colon cancer screenings is the only way to know if you have polyps that might be cancerous.

What if a polyp is found?

If your cancer screening finds one or more polyps, the polyps will be removed so they can be carefully evaluated under a microscope. If the polyp is found to be benign (non-cancerous), which is the case with most polyps, no more treatment is needed. If it's found to be cancerous, you'll undergo additional evaluations to determine what stage the cancer is in and other characteristics that can guide treatment.