Colon Cancer Diagnosis

There are several forms of cancer that are very preventable. One of them is cancer of the colon. Efforts of the conventional medicine community to increase public awareness of the dangers of cancer, and the necessity of regular screenings to detect any trace of cancers beginning to be formed are worthy only of the highest praise. People over the age of fifty should be screened for colon cancer; there is no question about that. It may save them a lot of unnecessary suffering and possibly their lives.

So if their family doctor or health center nurse appears to be dragging their feet in arrange this highly important treatment, and then it is much as responsibility as the people who fall into the risk category to make sure that the screening is arranged. Prevention is more than the cure.

The reason for the urgency is that for the treatment of colon cancer, early diagnosis is of paramount importance. Statistics show that the survival rate for someone who is diagnosed with colon cancer at the earliest stage stands a four to one chance more that a person of surviving who has allowed the disease to reach an advanced stage. A person who has never been screened, ignored the symptoms, in the hope that if they did so the would disappear. When these poor people are diagnosed, their illness is so advanced that the treatment they will need to receive to have any chance of surviving will be difficult in the extreme. Once again, the medical profession continues to emphasize the importance of early detection. If you feel that you might have slipped through the safety net of your family doctor regarding screening, then they may well appreciate being reminded.

Once the screening has been arranged, then the patient should also be aware of the different types of screenings and how effective they might be.

The options for screenings run in the following ascending order.

A fecal occult blood test is the least expensive and totally non invasive. However it is not too reliable.
A barium enema is not too invasive or unpleasant. It allows the doctor to examine the polyps, but he cannot remove them.
A sigmoidoscopy allows the donor to see and remove any polyps on the lower portion of the colon.
A colonoscopy allows the donor to see and remove any polyps on the entire colon.

Obviously the colonoscopy is preferred, as in many cases the polyps if proved to be benign or not very developed can be removed on the spot.

Cancer

Colon Cancer Prognosis