1. Let the Screening Warn You
It is really a medical professional who should first spot colorectal concerns in your body. Signs that are noticed during screenings are usually growths called polyps or other early indications of precancerous or cancerous conditions. These can be more easily addressed than if you forgo the screenings, only to discover the cancer through such symptoms as stomach pain. In other words, you want to catch problems before they ever reach a more advanced stage.
2. Get Informed, Not Worried
If you worry about getting screened, remember that colon or rectal cancer usually develops over a number of years. This means if cancer is detected early, your chances of being treated successfully climb. Not all the screenings are invasive. The National Cancer Institute (NCI) states that the fecal occult blood test can detect hidden blood in stool. This test is not expensive or invasive, so it can be performed every year. A "flexible sigmoidoscopy" lets a physician inspect the lower portion of the colon. A "colonoscopy" examines the entire colon. Invasive procedures come with some risks, which your doctor should advise you on prior to the screening. Researchers are evaluating a "virtual colonoscopy" that allows the physician to see images of the colon, without a probe. NCI is funding a trial to help determine if the virtual colonoscopy is as effective as the regular one in the all-important detection of polyps and cancer.*
3. Weigh the Benefits
Just the names of these tests can raise your eyebrows, but you may only have the colonoscopy once every 10 years. Ask your doctor what tests are best for you and how often they need to be done. Get an overview of each procedure before you undergo testing. In the past, people have avoided testing because some of the procedures must be done in a hospital or other special facility and some, like the colonoscopy, include bowl-cleansing preparations. Yet you could find and remove polyps when they are non-cancerous, or you could receive an early diagnosis that in early stages is highly treatable. With this in mind, the screening process becomes more manageable.
4. Be Proactive Against Polyps
Suppose you are having a colonoscopy and a polyp is found, what then? In some cases, it can be removed during the very same procedure in which it was identified. Once polyps are removed, they can be examined. Your risks will be reassessed and your doctor will want to discuss a screening schedule with you. The time between screenings can range from months to years, depending upon polyp characteristics. Between screenings, watch for a change in bowel habits. Contact your physician right away with symptoms such as bloody stool, narrow stools, stomach pain and/or a feeling that you cannot completely empty your bowel.
This article is not designed to provide medical or professional services and is for informational use only. If you have, or suspect, a health problem, please consult your doctor.
http://www.cancer.gov/cancertopics/cancer-advances-in-focus/colorectal
