• iHealth
• Pediatric Development Guidelines
• Adult Preventive Guidelines
  • Breast Cancer
  • Colorectal Cancer Screening
  • Weight Management
  • Osteoporosis
• Immunizations & Vaccinations
  • School Immunization Requirements
  • Pneumonia Vaccine
  • Vaccine Information Sheets
  • Day Care Requirements

Colorectal Cancer Screening

What is colorectal cancer?

Colorectal cancer is cancer that begins in either the large intestine (called the colon) or the rectum. These forms of cancer have many common features. Sometimes they are referred to together as colorectal cancer.

Colorectal cancer is the second leading cause of cancer deaths in the United States. Many of these deaths happened because the cancers were found too late to be cured. If colorectal cancer is found early enough, it can usually be cured by surgery.

What are the signs of colorectal cancer?

Early colorectal cancer usually has no symptoms which is why screening is so important. It develops slowly over a period of many years. Most begin as a polyp. At first, a polyp is a small, harmless growth in the wall of the colon. However, as a polyp gets larger, it can develop into a cancer that grows and spreads.

See your doctor if you have any of the following warning signs:

• Bleeding from your rectum
• Blood in your stool or in the toilet after you have a bowel movement
• A change in the shape of your stool
• Cramping pain in your lower stomach
• A feeling of discomfort or an urge to have a bowel movement when there is no need to have one

Other conditions can cause these same symptoms. You should be checked by your doctor to find the reason for your symptoms.

When should I be screened for colorectal cancer?

Colorectal cancer is more common in older people, so doctors usually screen people 50 years of age and older. Some people have risk factors that make them more likely to get colorectal cancer at a young age. Screening should begin earlier in these people.

You should begin screening at a younger age if any of the following are true about you:

• Have had colorectal cancer or large polyps in the past
• Have a close relative (brother, sister, parent or child) who has had colorectal cancer
• Have ulcerative colitis or Crohn's disease
• Have a hereditary colon cancer syndrome

If you are in one of these groups, you may also need to be tested more often - talk to your Primary Care Physician (PCP). If you don't have any risk factors for colorectal cancer, you will probably have your first screening test around 50 years of age.

Colonoscopy

Colonoscopy lets the physician look inside your entire large intestine, from the lowest part, the rectum, all the way up through the colon to the lower end of the small intestine. It enables the physician to see inflamed tissue, abnormal growths, ulcers, and bleeding. It is also used to diagnose the causes of unexplained changes in bowel habits.

This procedure is used to look for early signs of cancer in the colon and rectum. Early detection of cancer can lead to early treatment and a possible cure. Some risks and complications exist, but they are very rare.

Bottom line...screening offers the best opportunity to detect early disease...increasing your chances of successful treatment.

Check with your Primary Care Physician (PCP) to discuss if it is time for you to be scheduled for your colonoscopy.

Source

Colorectal Cancer. American Cancer Society. www.cancer.org
American Cancer Society. Colorectal Cancer Facts & Figures Special Edition 2005.
Atlanta: American Cancer Society, 2005.