When Should I Start Screening?
- Most guidelines recommend average-risk individuals start screening at age 50.
- African Americans and people with a family history of cancer or polyps should start screening earlier.
What Screening Options are Available?
- Colonoscopy. Often called “the gold standard” colonoscopy is the only screening that both detects and prevents cancer. Colonoscopy is shown to reduce the incidence of cancer by 89%.
- Hemoccult (FIT) Testing. An at-home test that screens for blood present in stool sample.
- Cologhard. Another at-home test, Cologuard also screens for blood in stool, as well as pre-cancerous DNA.
What are Colon Cancer Risk Factors?
- Heavy alcohol consumption
- Smoking
- Obesity
- Long-term irritable bowel syndrome (IBS)
- Family history of colorectal cancer
What are Colon Cancer Symptoms?
- Persistent rectal bleeding
- Blood in stools
- change in bowel habits
- Abdominal pain
- Loss of appetite
- Unexplained weight loss
For more information, please join Dr. Kenneth Hopland as he discusses the importance of colon cancer screening, and gives more details about the screening options listed above.
Colorectal Cancer Health Center by WebMD
- Colorectal cancer is diagnosed in more than 130,000 people each year in the U.S. alone. Get in-depth information on colorectal cancer including articles on causes, symptoms, prevention and treatments.