Screening for
colorectal cancer is important for your health. There's a
recommendation that people over 50, particularly those with colon
disease in their family history get screened however some people
just don't bother whilst others seem to test way too often. It is
important to know when and why to test.
Colorectal
canceris
becoming an increasingly greater threat of death from cancer but if
caught early the survival rate increases about 90% so screening is
very important as a diagnostic tool.
Colonoscopies are invasive procedures even though the risks
are small. There can be bleeding, bowel perforations or other
complications especially if you are older however the advantage is
that during a colonoscopy the doctor can take a biopsy (a piece of
tissue to look at in the lab), remove precancerous polyps if they
are there before they grow and spread.
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A tube is used
about the thickness of a finger and this tube is flexible. Through
this tube the doctor can examine the lining of the bowel much
better than from an x-ray.
Polyps are small growths on the lining of the bowel. They
don't need to be cancerous. Removal of them is called a polypectomy
and is done by putting a wire through the instrument and severing
the polyp at the base with a small, painless electric current. If
these are removed early enough they don't become cancerous so this
procedure is a way of protecting against colon cancer. Usually
after a couple of days patients can begin to follow a normal
routine.
Some doctors recommend that it is wise to repeat
colonoscopies every five years in patients with previous exposure
to cancer whilst others feel the test is needed more frequently.
Knowing when to test becomes a difficult decision which needs to be
made by a
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