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Screening can prevent cancer or detect it at highly treatable early stages.
Colorectal cancer is among the most common cancers in both men and women, according to the American Cancer Society. In recent decades, the overall rate at which people are diagnosed with this potentially deadly disease has dropped partly due to increased screening. Yet, colorectal cancer is also becoming more common among younger adults.
“Understanding your risks and being able to recognize the signs and symptoms of colorectal cancer is your best defense against this disease,” says Eric Tatar, MD, MS, a gastroenterologist with Highland Medical, Rockland Gastroenterology and Liver Disease in West Nyack, NY.
What is colorectal cancer?
It’s a cancer that starts anywhere along the colon—that is, the large intestine—which is the lower portion of the digestive system. These cancers often form as precancerous abnormal growths called polyps that over time can turn into colorectal cancer.
Why is detecting colorectal cancer early so significant? If you’re diagnosed with colorectal cancer in its early stages, you have a high chance of being cured. Colonoscopy screening detects polyps and removes them during the same procedure to prevent them from becoming cancer in the future. Screening improves your odds of surviving cancer or avoiding it altogether.
At what age should people start colorectal screening?
Men and women at average risk should begin colorectal screening at age 45. Earlier testing may be appropriate for patients who have a family history of colorectal cancer or who have other risk factors such as inflammatory bowel disease.
What are the options for screening?
The standard screening test for colorectal cancer is colonoscopy, in which a flexible, lighted tube is used to examine the entire colon and rectum. This test requires a laxative preparation and is performed under sedation. Results are about 95 percent sensitive to finding a polyp. Screening colonoscopy is usually repeated every 10 years.
Alternatives to colonoscopy include minimally invasive CT colonography, sometimes called virtual colonoscopy, and stool-based exams in which you obtain a stool sample at home and mail it to a lab. Home-based tests aren’t as accurate as colonoscopy and must be performed once a year or every few years. If any of these tests suggest colorectal cancer, you’ll still need a colonoscopy, which is the gold standard. If colonoscopy detects cancer, a wide range of treatment options are available.
Combating Colorectal Cancer
The hope is that colonoscopy screening will prevent colorectal cancer. But in some cases, a colonoscopy and other measures such as a biopsy may result in a cancer diagnosis. Advanced treatments for colorectal cancer offer a good chance of significantly prolonging life. Treatment is individualized and targeted to each patient’s unique cancer. Treatment options may include:
• SURGERY: Surgical removal of cancerous growths is usually performed using minimally invasive techniques like laparoscopy or robotic-assisted surgery and is one of the most effective treatments for colorectal cancer.
• CHEMOTHERAPY: A variety of chemotherapy drugs can be administered to kill or shrink cancer at varying points during treatment depending on a patient’s disease, often in coordination with other therapies.
• RADIATION THERAPY: High-energy beams such as X-rays are used to destroy cancer cells. The timing, method, dosage and type of energy can be calibrated to achieve the greatest effect for a patient’s particular cancer.
• IMMUNOTHERAPY: Advanced therapies target specific functions of the immune response in ways that improve the body’s ability to recognize and attack cancer cells.
• PRECISION MEDICINE: Profiling a cancer’s specific makeup of genes and proteins can guide doctors to the most effective therapies.
Key Signs of Colorectal Cancer
Check with your doctor if you notice:
• A change in bowel habits such as diarrhea, constipation or narrowing of the stool that lasts more than a few days
• A sense of urgency or bowel fullness that isn’t relieved by a bowel movement
• Rectal bleeding
• Blood in the stool or dark stool
• Persistent abdominal discomfort such as cramps, gas or pain
• Unexplained weight loss
• Weakness or fatigue
Highland Medical Rockland Gastroenterology and Liver Disease is at 2 Medical Park Drive, Suite 14, West Nyack, NY. Call 845-362-3300 to schedule an appointment with a gastroenterologist.
