Screenings for 2007 – Are you on track?  

Colon Cancer is the second leading cause of cancer death in the United States.   It is estimated nearly 150,000 new cases of colorectal cancer will be diagnosed this year.  It is most common in men and women age fifty years and older with the risk increasing with age.  Many cases of colorectal cancer can be prevented by  having regular screening examinations beginning at age fifty and with some lifestyle modifications.  Screening is the best way to find polyps or growths in the colon so they can be removed before they become cancerous. 

No doubt, there is a stigma that goes along with colon cancer and the screening process,  because it does involve examination of the rectal and intestinal areas.  Many people are just too embarrassed to talk about it, much less go in for the screening.  “Nobody wants to talk about colon cancer, but it’s proven that screening reduces the risk and incidence of this disease,”  says Dr. William Early.  He founded North Georgia Endoscopy Center, Inc. and has performed over 22,000 endoscopic procedures in the last twenty years, and is the Director of the Colon Cancer Education and Prevention Program.  “When you’ve seen as much colon cancer as I have over the years, you become a strong believer in screening and early prevention detection.” 

No, colon cancer and its screening processes are not glamorous, but then neither is cancer treatment – and harsh as it sounds,  cancer treatment or death, may be the only other alternatives left to someone who doesn’t take preventative measures early in life. We have to  take an educated, pro-active approach to this disease. 

Cancer occurs when cells group together and form a tumor.  As some of those cells break away, the cancer is spread to other parts of the body.  Colon cancer, specifically, begins with the formation of small, noncancerous growths called polyps.  These growths, over a period to time, can become larger and develop into cancer.  This process can take years, leaving us plenty of time to find and remove noncancerous polyps before they have a chance to become malignant. 

Everyone  over the age of 50 needs to be screened regularly visits for colon cancer.  Visits should be scheduled even earlier if there is a family history of this disease.  Equally important is to  take responsibility for knowing your own risk factors.  Anyone who can identify with one or more of the following profiles should be particularly observant:

·         A first-degree relative (parent, sibling, or child) with colon cancer doubles your risk for the disease.  Up to 15% of colorectal cancer cases have a genetic component or cause.

·         A personal history of previous neoplastic colon polyps.

·         A personal history of previous chronic digestive disease, such as Crohn’s colitis.

·         Excess fatty food intake, smoking, alcohol, and a sedentary lifestyle may also contribute to a colorectal cancer formation.

·         Women who have had cancer of the ovary, uterus, or breast have a slightly greater chance of developing colon cancer, as well. 

If you  identify with one or more of these, you  should be very disciplined about your  checkups and screenings.  And especially if you have experienced or are experiencing such symptoms as a change in bowel habits, blood in stool, frequent gas pains, bloating, fullness, cramps, or unexplained weight loss. 

Of the recommended screening measures, physicians and researchers agree that having a full colonoscopy  is probably the smartest, most cost-effective, and most fool-proof way of detecting colon cancer before it gets a chance to start.  It allows that Specialist to take full-color, digital pictures of the colon and identify and  remove polyps when they are first detected.  Obviously, the biggest benefit to the patient is that the colonoscope can examine the entire colon – a major advantage, according to the New England Journal of Medicine.  It cites two major studies involving failure of a sigmoidoscopy to detect advanced polyps or carcinomas because they were located only in the colon area that is proximal to the splenic flexure (i.e. an area inaccessible by the sigmoidoscope due to its short length). 

Medicare and many insurance providers are now also recommending and cover, a screening colonoscopy at age fifty. 

Lifestyle modifications that can help prevent colon cancer include:  an increase in physical activity, a decrease in the consumption of red meat, the use of multivitamins containing folic acid,  reduction of excess body weight, a high intake of vegetables, fruit, and fiber, reduction of alcohol use, and the cessation of tobacco use.  Interestingly, an aspirin a day has also been shown to reduce colon cancer risk by nearly 50% in studies. 

Colon cancer screening is unique from other cancer screenings in that it can actually prevent colon cancer.  For most diseases, screening is considered secondary to prevention, because it detects early forms of cancer but does not prevent the actual development of cancer.  Colon cancer screening is considered primary prevention, because the screening has the ability to detect pre-cancerous polyps before they are able to turn into a cancer.  Primary prevention involves the removal of these pre-cancerous polyps before they progress to cancer.  Secondary prevention in colon screening is also important in that the detection of colon cancer in its earliest most treatable stage of disease reduces the mortality and improves survival rates. 

The procedure takes about 20 minutes in general.    We use conscious sedation in our facility to make the procedure as easy and comfortable as possible and to get the patient relaxed.    There is some prior day preparation but nothing extreme and you go home the same day.   We do over 1000 procedures each year at North Georgia Endoscopy. 

Dr. William Early couldn’t agree more.  “Is a colonoscopy a lot of trouble?  You bet it is.  Is it worth it?  You bet your life it is.”