Think You Don’t Need to be Screened for Colorectal Cancer?

There are more than 56,000 reasons you should!

This is a message for people age 50 and older:  Take time to get a colorectal cancer screening. A report from the National Health Interview survey, which is administered by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), indicate that nearly half of all eligible persons are still not meeting the screening recommendations for colorectal cancer.

Longview, Texas resident John Edmonson agrees:  "My advice to anybody when they turn 50-years-old is to get one."  Edmonson recently underwent surgery for colorectal cancer at Baylor Medical Center at Irving. "I had planned to get one when I turned 50," he said.  However his job as a regional truck driver made scheduling the screening difficult until Edmonson began to notice symptoms a few birthdays past age 50.  A colonoscopy revealed cancer.   After undergoing radiation therapy to shrink the tumor, Edmonson had surgery in early 2014 and is now taking chemotherapy.  "I've gotten good reports from my doctors and I'm staying positive," he said.

Most colorectal cancers develop first as colorectal polyps, which are growths inside the colon or rectum that may later become cancerous. Every year, more than 56,000 people die from colorectal cancer and regular screening can prevent almost all of these deaths.   Yet, fewer than half will be diagnosed at an early stage, when treatment is most effective. Most will be diagnosed after the disease has spread, when chances of long-term survival are significantly lower. And many will learn that the most common early symptom is no symptom.

Although the death rate from colorectal cancer has been decreasing for the past 15 years, partially due to the fact that they are being found earlier and treatments have improved, screening for colorectal cancer still lags far behind screening for other cancers. There are four basic tests that, when used regularly, permit detection and removal of these precancerous polyps. This slow-growing cancer can take up to ten years to develop, which leaves a generously wide window of opportunity for screening. For more information about colorectal cancer screening or gastroenterology services, please call 1-800-4BAYLOR.

Colonoscopy: With colonoscopy, while under mild sedation, a gastroenterologist or other specialist uses a slender, flexible, lighted colonoscope to inspect the colon and remove polyps or abnormal tissue. The high quality picture from the colonoscope is shown on a TV monitor, and gives a clear, detailed view.

Flexible Sigmoidoscopy: Flexible sigmoidoscopy is a widely used test in which a doctor uses a slender, flexible, lighted tube to inspect the lower one-third to one-half of the colon, where most polyps are found. The last decade, however, has seen a slight increase in the number of polyps in the upper third of the colon, beyond the reach of sigmoidoscopy. For these reasons, colonoscopy is preferred over flexible sigmoidoscopy.

Fecal Occult Blood Test (FOBT): Most people start with the FOBT because it's the simplest, least expensive test and can be done in the privacy of your home. The purpose of the FOBT is detection of hidden, or "occult" blood, which might be an indication of cancer or large polyps. If a small polyp isn't bleeding when you take the test this year, its slow growth allows multiple opportunities for detection over the years before it becomes cancer. It is a reliable screening tool if the test is repeated each and every year.

The American Cancer Society recommends that regular screening for colorectal cancer start at age 50 under the following guidelines:

  • Flexible sigmoidoscopy at least once every 5 years or
  • Colonoscopy at least once every 10 years or DCBE every 5-10 years.
  • FOBT at least once a year and one of the above tests

Yet, if colorectal cancer occurred in one first degree relative (a parent, sibling or child), or in two or more second degree relatives (an aunt, uncle or grandparent), screening should start at age 40, or ten years before the age when your relative was diagnosed. Additionally, if you have a history of inflammatory bowel syndrome, ulcerative colitis, Crohn's disease, or abdominal or intestinal polyps, you may be at higher risk and should talk with your doctor about an appropriate screening strategy.


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About Baylor Scott & White Health
As the largest not-for-profit health system in the state of Texas, Baylor Scott & White promotes the health and well-being of every individual, family and community it serves. It is committed to making quality care more accessible, convenient and affordable through its integrated delivery network, which includes the Baylor Scott & White Health Plan, Baylor Scott & White Research Institute, the Baylor Scott & White Quality Alliance and its leading digital health platform – MyBSWHealth. Through 51 hospitals and more than 1,200 access points, including flagship academic medical centers in Dallas, Fort Worth and Temple, the system offers the full continuum of care, from primary to award-winning specialty care. Founded as a Christian ministry of healing more than a century ago, Baylor Scott & White today serves more than three million Texans. For more information, visit: BSWHealth.com