• Careers
  • Education
  • Research
Ochsner Health Ochsner Health
  • About
  • Find A Doctor (current)
  • Find A Location
  • Specialties & Treatments
MyOchsner Logo
Login | Signup
Submit Search
Close Search
  •   Home
  • In To Your Health...
  • Food & Fitness
  • Conditions & Treatment
  • Health Trends
  • Prevention & Wellness
  • Women's Health
  • Men's Health
  • Mental Health
  • Parenting
  • I need to...
  • Find A Doctor
  • Find A Location
  • Find A Specialty
  • Schedule An Appointment
  • Pay A Bill
  • Explore
  • About Ochsner
  • Careers
  • Patients & Visitors
  • "To Your Health" Blog
  • Health Resources
  • Medical Professionals
  • Education
  • Philanthropy
  • Community Outreach
  • Research
  • Ochsner Health Network
  • Schedule an Appointment
  • Call: 1-866-624-7637
  • Online: Login to MyOchsner
  • Personalize your content
  • patient Edit Persona Persona Chooser
To Your Health

View Newsletter Editions
  • Food & Fitness
  • Conditions & Treatment
  • Health Trends
  • Prevention & Wellness
  • Women's Health
  • Men's Health
  • Mental Health
  • Parenting
Colonoscopy Prescription

Colon Cancer Preventive Screenings Better Than Treatment

Mar 12, 2019 |
By Lingling Du, MD
Share Facebook Logo Twitter Logo Pinterest Logo Email Logo

We’ve all procrastinated before but putting off a simple task to finish at a later time is not usually a life or death decision. However, delaying a colon cancer screening most definitely could be.

March is Colorectal Cancer Awareness Month and it’s an important time to raise awareness about this preventable disease.

Colon cancer is the second leading cause of cancer-related death in the United States. It’s expected to cause about 51,020 deaths in 2019. The average risk is 1 in 22 for men and 1 in 24 for women. However, if you have a first degree family member (mother, father, sister or brother) with colon cancer, that risk can double or even triple.

When should I start getting screened?

The American Cancer Society recommends that people at average risk of colon cancer start regular screenings at 45 and continue them through the age of 75. For people ages 76 through 85, the decision to be screened should be based on a person’s preferences, life expectancy, overall health and prior screening history.

For those who have family members with colon cancer, screening should start 10 years before the index case (family member) was diagnosed, which could result in the need to begin screenings before 45 years old.

Why are colonoscopies important?

A colonoscopy, the primary colon cancer screening procedure, is painless, though it gets a bad rap. Why? Because, admittedly, the preparation to achieve a clean colon can be unpleasant. The prep involves drinking a prescribed liquid to clean out your colon over a 12-hour period.

During the actual procedure, the patient is asleep and feels nothing. If precancerous lesions are found, they are removed, thereby reducing a patient’s colon cancer risk. So while the prep is no picnic, it is much more preferable to a potential cancer diagnosis.

Colonoscopies have been proved in large population studies to prevent colon cancer and also to allow discovery of colon cancers at much earlier stages.

Screening in seemingly “healthy” or asymptomatic patients is important because colon cancer, especially in the right side of the colon, can grow quite large with absolutely NO symptoms. The larger or more advanced the cancer, the worse the outcome and the more intensive therapy needed to preserve life.

Colonoscopies should be done every 10 years, unless your physician suggests more frequent screenings.

Are there other screening options?

Another screening option is a highly sensitive stool-based test known as the fecal immunochemical test (FIT). This is an annual screening taken at home that tests for hidden blood in the stool, which can be an early sign of colon cancer.

FIT only detects blood from the lower intestines. You should discuss with your physician about which colon cancer screening is right for you.

Though prevention strategies are not usually considered much fun, they are insignificant compared to colon cancer treatment.

Unfortunately, we know that only approximately one third of the people who should be screened are getting screened. So, make the decision for prevention! You’ll be glad you did.

Is it time for your screening? Call 1-866-846-3550 to schedule your colonoscopy with an Ochsner physician today.

Tags
colon cancer
cancer
screenings

You may also be interested in:

Older Woman In Dr Office
Conditions & Treatment
Sep 4, 2020

How to Prepare for a Colonoscopy

Prepping for a colonoscopy is said to be more of a challenge than the actual test, as it requires that the colon is completely cleaned out of stool.
Middleagemale Forrest
Prevention & Wellness
Oct 12, 2020

Colorectal Cancer Screening and Prevention

The key to decreasing new colorectal cases is to following routine screening guidelines.
Medical Exam 164108129
Prevention & Wellness
Mar 5, 2014

Flush Away Your Cancer Risk

When it comes to screening tests, colonoscopies probably win as "least favorite", but screening is essential in the prevention and treatment of this disease.

Comments about the blog? Send us an email!

Ochsner Health Ochsner Health

Schedule An Appointment: 1-866-624-7637

Follow us: Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Instagram YouTube Pinterest

Healthy living tips, delivered weekly to your inbox.

Patients & Visitors

  • Billing & Financial Services
  • Insurance Information
  • International Patients
  • Request Medical Records
  • Share Your Story
  • Read Patient Stories

Medical Professionals

  • Transfer a Patient
  • Refer a Patient

Health Resources

  • To Your Health Blog
  • Golden Opportunity
  • Hello Health Seminars
  • Ochsner Magazine

Job Seekers

  • Career Paths
  • Benefits
  • Open Positions

Employees

  • Webmail
  • OHSLink
  • Workday

Employers

  • Corporate Wellness
  • Medicare Advantage Plans

Community Outreach

  • Classes & Events
  • Programs
  • Community Health Needs Assessment
  • Dr. John Ochsner Discovery Health Sciences Academy

Education

  • Graduate Medical Education
  • Clinical Medical Education
  • Continuing Medical Education
  • Medical Library
  • Publishing Services
  • Medical Illustrations

Research

  • Clinical Trials
  • Applied Health Services Research
  • Clinical Research & Trials
  • Nursing Research
  • Translational Research

Giving

  • Donate
  • Volunteer

About Ochsner

  • Mission & Vision
  • History
  • Annual Report
  • Outcomes & Honors
  • News & Media
  • Alumni
  • Ochsner Health Network
  • Contact Us

Shop

  • O Bar
  • Optical Shop
  • Ochsner Fitness Center
  • Brent House Hotel

© Ochsner Health  | Notice of Privacy Practices | Terms of Use | Vendor Information

Ochsner accepts all major insurances.

Ochsner is a 501(c)3 not-for-profit organization, founded on providing the best patient care, research, and education.

We are one of the country’s largest non-university based academic medical centers.

Ochsner is an equal opportunity employer and all qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, age, national origin or ancestry, citizenship, sexual orientation, gender identity, veteran status, disability or any other protected characteristic under applicable law.

Community Needs Health Assessment

EpicMobile Tablet | EpicMobile Phone

Healthy Living Tips, Delivered Right To Your Inbox

* indicates required


Must Reads
Food and Fitness
Men’s Health
Parenting
Women’s Health

Source:
Source Description:
Marketing Goal:


Get Weekly Health Tips

Select the weekly newsletters you'd like to receive.

Please select at least one category to continue.

Curious about our newsletters?

View details for each edition

Let us know where to send your weekly newsletters.

To Your Health- Food and Fitness:
To Your Health- General:
To Your Health- Men’s Health:
To Your Health- Parenting:
To Your Health- Women’s Health:

Source:
Source Description:
Marketing Goal:

You're all set!

We’ll send newsletters full of healthy living tips right to your inbox every week.

Ochsner Health System
ESC to Close

Begin Typing to Search

Select the drop-down to filter Search by Blog Articles or Sitewide