The Importance of Colon Cancer Screenings

Are you getting a colon cancer screening routinely? If not, it might be the time you started.

Colorectal cancer is the third most common cancer for both men and women in the United States. In 2016, the American Cancer Society estimates that there will be approximately over 95,000 new cases of colon cancer. Find out when you should begin getting colon cancer screenings from your Houston, TX gastroenterologist Dr. Vikram S. Jayanty and why they are important for everyone.

As you may have already guessed, getting regular colorectal cancer screenings is the most effective way to prevent colorectal cancer. Since it can take up to 10 to 15 years for a polyp to turn cancerous, these routine screenings can help your Houston GI specialist Dr. Jayanty find and remove the growths. Screening regularly can also find cancer during its earliest stages when it is highly curable.

Sadly, only about half of the people who should be getting colorectal cancer screenings actually do. So, who should be getting these screenings?

By the age of 50, both men and women with an average risk of developing colorectal cancer should get these tests every five years:

• Flexible sigmoidoscopy
• Double-contract barium enema
• Virtual colonoscopy

Every 10 years, men and women over 50 years old should also get a colonoscopy.

If you are at an increased risk of colorectal cancer you should be getting screened before age 50 and you should be getting them more routinely. Factors that can put you at high-risk include:

• Family history of colorectal cancer
• Family history of ulcerative colitis or Crohn’s disease
• Personal history of colorectal cancer or cancerous polyps

Are you at higher risk of colon cancer? Are you experiencing symptoms? Or maybe you’re just over the age of 50. Whatever the case, it’s important to play it safe with your health and schedule a colon cancer screening in Houston, TX. Call us today!