National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases
If you are older than 50, it is recommended that you have a colon cancer screening, to detect polyps and early cancers that can be treated before symptoms develop. If you have certain risk factors, you will need to start screening earlier or have screening tests more often. Regular screenings may decrease deaths and prevent suffering caused by colorectal cancer. This type of screening is as effective as breast cancer screening in saving lives.
Colonic Diseases
Your colon, also known as the large intestine, is part of
your digestive system. It's a long, hollow tube at the end of your digestive
tract where your body makes and stores stool. Many disorders affect the colon's
ability to work properly. Some of these include
· Colonic polyps - extra tissue growing in the colon that can become cancerous
· Ulcerative colitis - ulcers of the colon and rectum
· Diverticulitis - inflammation or infection of pouches in the colon
· Irritable bowel syndrome - an uncomfortable condition causing abdominal cramping and other symptoms
Treatment for colonic diseases varies greatly depending on the disease and its severity. Treatment may involve diet, medicines and in some cases, surgery.
There are three ways to screen for colon cancer. The first is a stool test (to check for blood). Most medical authorities recommend this be done every 1 to 2 years.
The
second method is a sigmoidoscopy exam (a test that uses a flexible small scope
to look at the lower part of your colon), recommended every 5 years. Most health
care providers recommend that the stool test and the sigmoidoscopy be used
together.
The third method is a colonoscopy exam. A colonoscopy is similar to a sigmoidoscopy, but it allows the entire colon to be viewed. The patient usually is mildly sedated during a colonoscopy.
The American Cancer Society makes the following recommendations:
Beginning at age 50, both men and women should follow one of these five screening options:
- Yearly Fecal Occult Blood Test (FOBT) - the multiple-sample type (take-home); if positive results, a colonoscopy is needed
- Flexible sigmoidoscopy every 5 years
- Yearly fecal occult blood test plus sigmoidoscopy every 5 years ( this combination is preferred over either of these two tests alone)
- Double-contrast barium enema every 5 years
Colonoscopy
every 10 years
There is insufficient evidence to determine which screening method is best. The colonoscopy is the most thorough, but it takes longer, requires sedation, is slightly riskier (rarely, the bowel can be perforated), and much more expensive than a sigmoidoscopy.
People with certain digestive diseases (such as ulcerative colitis) or a family history of colon cancer may need earlier and more frequent testing. See stool screening for bowel cancer and stool guaiac test.
Ten questions to ask your GI Endoscopist...
Print this out and take it with you to
your appointment.
The answers to all of these should be yes and should re-assure you that
you are seeing a trained endoscopist who will safely and effectively perform
your colonoscopy or other endoscopic procedure.
1. Are you a licensed medical doctor?
2. Have you had formal training in GI endoscopy?
Not learned during a short 2-3 day course or
self instruction without supervised experience
3. Is your rate of cecal (total colon) intubation greater than 90%?
4. Do you perform more than 100 colonoscopies annually?
5. Do you have endoscopic privileges at a licensed health care facility
or hospital?
6. Is polypectomy (polyp removal) routinely performed during elective
colonoscopy?
7. Does your endoscopic facility have dedicated reprocessing
(disinfection) personnel and equipment?
8. Do you offer intravenous sedation for colonoscopy?
9. Do you monitor blood pressure, pulse and blood oxygen levels during
sedation?
10. Do you employ a trained endoscopic assistant or nurse?
ASGE - The Source for Colonoscopy and Endoscopy
IMPORTANT REMINDER:
The preceding information is intended only to provide general information and
not as a definitive basis for diagnosis or treatment in any particular case. It
is very important that you consult your doctor about your specific condition.
Source:
http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/ency/article/002071.htm