Commonly Asked Questions About Colon Cancer and Screening

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According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, colon cancer is the second leading cause of cancer-related deaths in both men and women in the United States. And, did you know it is the one of the most preventable?

What is colon cancer? When should I start getting screened? Abram Eisenstein, MD, Director of Gastroenterology at Cooper Clinic, answers common questions about colon cancer and the screening process.

What is colon cancer and who is at risk?
Colon, or colorectal, cancer develops in the digestive tract or large intestine called your colon. It begins with benign polyps that over time extend into a cancerous tumor.

Risk factors for colon cancer include an older age, ethnicity (African Americans are more likely to have colon cancer than Caucasians), family history (first degree relative), smoking and obesity.

What can I do to prevent colon cancer?
Drawing from the above risk factors, individuals can lower the possibility of colon cancer by maintaining proper weight, reducing saturated fat and red meat in their diet and not smoking.

Studies have shown that people who taken Aspirin daily for five to ten years and regular intake of calcium are less likely to have colon cancer. Also, low levels of vitamin D are linked to colon cancer so it’s important to get your levels checked and make sure you’re taking the right amount.

How important is screening for colon cancer?
Extremely important! Unique to colon cancer, the tumors originally develop in polyps which gastroenterologists are able to find and remove with certain screenings, therefore making the cancer preventable and treatable.

There are various tests that screen for colon cancer. Cooper Clinic offers colonoscopies and virtual colonoscopies. A regular colonoscopy is optically done with a scope to see the entire colon as well as remove any polyps at the same time. A virtual colonoscopy requires the same prep as the regular procedure but only takes an X-ray (or CT scan) of the colon. Both are able to find polyps but only the regular colonoscopy is able to remove them during the same procedure.

How often should I get screened for colon cancer?
Standard screening for colon cancer starts at age 50. Cooper Clinic recommends patients start screening at age 40 and then once more between the ages of 40 and 50.

After a normal (no polyps indicated), quality screening, Cooper Clinic recommends patients get screened in five years and, if normal, again in the next seven to ten years.

How do I know if I’m receiving a “quality” screening?
Most importantly, make sure your physician is a board-certified gastroenterologist. Here are a few other questions you should ask your physician before receiving a colonoscopy to ensure that it’s a quality procedure, and their preferred answers:

• What is your average percentage of finding polyps? The acceptable answer should be in 20-25 percent of patients, but the ideal answer is in 35-40 percent of patients.

• How long do you perform the looking time (or withdraw time) during the colonoscopy? You’re asking the physician how long he is actually looking for polyps in your colon during the procedure. The standard time is six to eight minutes. Dr. Eisenstein spends 18-24 minutes looking for polyps (three times the standard).

 

Learn more about Cooper Clinic preventive exams and gastroenterology services.