Medically reviewed by Ayanna Lewis, M.D.
Getting screened is one of the best ways to decrease your threat of colon most cancers, a illness that impacts 1 in 25 girls and is the second-leading trigger of most cancers loss of life in girls beneath 50.
The excellent news — notably for individuals who actually dread the concept of a colonoscopy — is that there are a lot of strategies of screening for colon most cancers, and a few of them might be accomplished from the consolation of your individual residence. However with all of the testing choices out there, how are you aware which one to decide on?
Understanding the various kinds of colon most cancers screening could assist you determine which one is greatest for you.
Why is colon most cancers screening so essential?
Colon most cancers typically takes about 10 years to develop. For most individuals, it begins when a gene mutation impacts one of many cells that line your colon. This mutated cell divides and grows, forming a clump of cells referred to as a polyp.
Whereas many polyps are benign (non-cancerous), some could ultimately flip into most cancers. Screening helps to search out polyps earlier than they’ve an opportunity to grow to be cancerous.
It could actually additionally spot most cancers that has already began within the early phases, when it’s simpler to deal with. The 5-year survival charge of individuals with early stage colorectal most cancers is round 90% however drops to round 13% if the most cancers has unfold to different components of the physique.
The present advice is that folks with a median threat of colon most cancers begin screening at age 45.
Are some teams at larger threat?
In response to the American Most cancers Society, Black folks in the USA are 20% extra more likely to get colorectal most cancers — and 40% extra more likely to die from it — than different racial teams. Genetic variations, life-style components and environmental components account for a few of the disparity, however different causes embrace lack of entry to healthcare and the dearth of capacity to pay for healthcare.
Consultants are working to assist shut this hole, organizing community-based efforts, such because the Colorectal Most cancers Screening Intervention Program (CCSIP) to boost consciousness and make screening extra accessible.
What’s a colonoscopy, anyway?
A colonoscopy is an outpatient process the place a physician makes use of a tiny video digicam hooked up to an extended, versatile tube to examine the colon for most cancers, in addition to polyps and different crimson flags, corresponding to irritated tissue.
The tube is inserted into the rectum whereas the affected person is sedated, and there’s no ache throughout or after the process.
A serious good thing about the colonoscopy is that docs don’t simply search for probably problematic polyps — they will additionally take away them. And in case your outcomes are regular, you received’t want one other colonoscopy for 10 years. That is why colonoscopy is taken into account the “gold normal” for colon most cancers detection.
A colonoscopy comes with the identical small dangers (corresponding to bleeding and an infection) as any medical process, however the advantages outweigh the potential hurt for many sufferers.
What are the opposite screening choices for colon most cancers?
There are a number of completely different screening choices that contain utilizing an at-home take a look at package that search for indicators of most cancers.
- The guaiac-based fecal occult blood take a look at (gFOBT) makes use of a chemical referred to as guaiac to search out blood within the stool. You get a take a look at package out of your physician and use it at residence to gather a pattern that’s examined in a lab. This take a look at is completed yearly.
- The fecal immunochemical take a look at (FIT) makes use of antibodies as an alternative of guaiac to detect blood within the stool, however in any other case it’s the identical because the gFOBT.
- The FIT-DNA take a look at, corresponding to Cologuard, (often known as the stool DNA take a look at) is the FIT plus one other take a look at that checks for modified DNA within the stool. For this take a look at, a whole bowel motion is collected at residence and despatched to a lab. It’s accomplished a minimum of each three years.
Blood-based assessments for colon most cancers, corresponding to Defend, are newer choices that can be utilized by folks of common threat.
Another choice is a versatile sigmoidoscopy, which is actually a restricted colonoscopy that solely checks the rectum and decrease third of the colon for polyps or most cancers. It’s accomplished each 5 years.
A process referred to as a computed tomography (CT) colonoscopy (or digital colonoscopy) makes use of a CT scan to take footage of the colon, making it much less invasive than the standard colonoscopy. It’s accomplished each 5 years.
It’s essential to notice that if any of those screenings come again optimistic or irregular, you’ll want a conventional colonoscopy.
However for individuals who’d simply as quickly keep away from a colonoscopy — or are having a tough time getting an appointment due to a backlog — these screenings are a lot higher than nothing.
Which colon most cancers screening possibility is greatest?
Very like train, the “greatest” colon most cancers screening is the one you’ll really do. You’ll must take your private well being and insurance coverage state of affairs into consideration, so it’s a good suggestion to speak via your choices with a healthcare supplier.
If value is a priority, the Colorectal Most cancers Alliance and Colonoscopy Help may help you discover free or low-cost screenings close to you.
This instructional useful resource was created with assist from Daiichi Sankyo.
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