From Cleveland Clinic
What Are You Doing to Prevent Colon Cancer?
40 percent of colorectal cancers preventable
People most at risk for colorectal cancers do not get colonoscopies. In fact, up to 70 percent of people in the high-risk category — those age 50 to 75 — don’t seek testing.
That’s unfortunate for these people because colorectal cancers are more preventable than other cancers. All colorectal cancers begin with a precancerous polyp, which can be removed, says James Church, MD, Head of the Section of Endoscopy at Cleveland Clinic.
“I can’t emphasize how preventable colon cancer is,” Dr. Church says. “You can’t prevent breast cancer, lung cancer or brain cancer in the same way. You can’t take precancerous polyps off any of those organs. It seems to me that colonoscopy must be done – that it can really save people’s lives.”
Recent research
Colorectal cancer could be prevented in about 40 percent of patients through regular colonoscopies, says a study recently published in the New England Journal of Medicine.
Researchers followed nearly 89,000 participants for 22 years. During that time, 1,815 people developed colorectal cancer.
“The research demonstrates the importance of colonoscopy screening specifically,” Dr. Church says. “All other sorts of colon cancer screening are not the same.”
Dr. Church says it’s important to find an experienced colonoscopist who can spot polyps of different shapes and in locations that can be more difficult to find.
“You want to get the best colonoscopist you can. Somebody who knows how to recognize polyps and take them off in the safest way possible,” he says.
Read more from Cleveland Clinic >>
What Are You Doing to Prevent Colon Cancer?
40 percent of colorectal cancers preventable
People most at risk for colorectal cancers do not get colonoscopies. In fact, up to 70 percent of people in the high-risk category — those age 50 to 75 — don’t seek testing.
That’s unfortunate for these people because colorectal cancers are more preventable than other cancers. All colorectal cancers begin with a precancerous polyp, which can be removed, says James Church, MD, Head of the Section of Endoscopy at Cleveland Clinic.
“I can’t emphasize how preventable colon cancer is,” Dr. Church says. “You can’t prevent breast cancer, lung cancer or brain cancer in the same way. You can’t take precancerous polyps off any of those organs. It seems to me that colonoscopy must be done – that it can really save people’s lives.”
Recent research
Colorectal cancer could be prevented in about 40 percent of patients through regular colonoscopies, says a study recently published in the New England Journal of Medicine.
Researchers followed nearly 89,000 participants for 22 years. During that time, 1,815 people developed colorectal cancer.
“The research demonstrates the importance of colonoscopy screening specifically,” Dr. Church says. “All other sorts of colon cancer screening are not the same.”
Dr. Church says it’s important to find an experienced colonoscopist who can spot polyps of different shapes and in locations that can be more difficult to find.
“You want to get the best colonoscopist you can. Somebody who knows how to recognize polyps and take them off in the safest way possible,” he says.
Read more from Cleveland Clinic >>
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