BeautySpotz

Do you have a family history of colon cancer? Are you at risk for colon cancer due to Crohn’s disease or another condition? If so, your doctor may recommend screening for colorectal cancer at a significantly younger age than those without risk factors. Some doctors recommend screening by age 40 for high risk patients. If you are not at high risk, screening is recommended at age 50.

We all know early detection increases the odds of successful treatment and recovery from virtually all cancers. Since there aren’t usually symptoms in the early stages of many cancers, screening is critical to making a timely diagnosis. In the case of colorectal cancer, fear or apprehension about screening tests may lead some patients to avoid them.

Not only does avoiding screening tests put you at a greater risk of developing a more advanced case of colorectal cancer, there’s really nothing to fear in the first place. The screening tests people tend to dread the most are sigmoidoscopies, barrium enema tests and colonoscopies. Although any of these may be uncomfortable, they are not in the least bit painful for the majority of patients. Signoidoscopies and barrium contrast tests are usually only recommended every five years, while colonoscopies generally are only done once every 10 years. All three screening tests are also considered very safe.

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