People are often too embarrassed to talk about their bowel
movements. We get it; it’s not exactly a popular watercooler conversation
topic. However, the truth remains that everyone poops! And it’s important to
remember that while talking about your trips to the toilet may not exactly trip
your trigger, your stool holds many of the secrets of your internal health.
Screening your stool for signs of colorectal cancer is a must.
March is Colorectal Cancer Awareness Month. Colorectal
cancer is the fourth most common cancer in the United States and the second
leading cause of death from cancer according to the U.S. Department of Health
and Human Services.
While those are overwhelming statistics, there is good news!
If individuals aged 50 and older received regular colorectal cancer screenings,
six of 10 deaths caused by colorectal cancer could be PREVENTED!
We admit that no one really wants to have this discussion.
But, reading the following information is the very least you can do to make the first
steps toward making a healthy screening choice, according to your age and
healthcare provider’s recommendations.
Screening measures include:
- Stool DNA tests (sDNA) are tests that mainly find cancer, including:
- High-sensitivity fecal occult blood tests (FOBT)
- Guaiac FOBT (gFOBT): Approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to test for colorectal cancer.
- Fecal immunochemical test (FIT): Approved by the FDA to test for colorectal cancer.
All of these test the stool for hidden blood or other
changes that may be signs of cancer. They are less invasive and easier to do,
but are less likely to find polyps than other types of tests. Samples are
collected by the patient using a kit, and the samples are returned to a doctor.
A colonoscopy will be needed if results are abnormal. Studies have shown that if
this test is performed every year or two by people aged 50 to 80 years,
colorectal cancer deaths could be reduced by 15 to 33 percent.
Many people choose to “forget” about these important and
potentially life-saving screenings because of the stories that circulate about
the prep for a colonoscopy, or the nasty visuals featuring stool sampling nightmares.
The reality is that while it’s not fun to collect a stool sample, the results
could save your life.
- Tests that find both polyps and cancer include:
- Sigmoidoscopy
- A flexible, lighted tube with a viewing lens and removal tool is put in through the anus into the rectum and sigmoid colon.
- Tissue can be taken from any areas of concern and polyps can be removed.
- Studies have shown that people who are regularly screened with this method after age 50 have a 60 to 70 percent lower risk of colorectal cancer death than those that do not have the screening.
- Colonoscopy
- A thin, lighted blue tube is put in through the anus and rectum and passed up into the colon to look for abnormal areas.
- Tissue can be taken from any areas of concern and polyps can be removed.
- Studies have shown that colonoscopies reduce colorectal cancer deaths by 60 to 70 percent.
- Double-contrast barium enema
- Barium is a substance that looks white on x-rays.
- It is put into the rectum through a plastic tube and fills the colon.
- A series of x-rays show the size of the colon and any growths or polyps protruding into the hollow space of the colon.
- CT colonography
- Air is pumped into the colon through a flexible tube.
- CT scans are then done.
- Special computer programs create both two-dimensional x-ray pictures and a three-dimensional “fly-through” view of the inside of the colon and rectum, which lets the doctor look for polyps and cancer.
The gold standard remains that a colonoscopy should be
performed after age 50. Talk to your healthcare provider to decide which
colorectal cancer screening tool is best for you. You could literally be
sitting on the most important discovery of your life. Don’t ignore it. Remember,
colorectal cancer is preventable, treatable, and beatable.
Grinnell Regional Public Health has Guaiac FOBT kits
available. To find out more about the availability of colorectal screening
kits, please call Grinnell Regional Public Health at 641-236-62567.
Sources:
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