Why Get Screened
After her husband’s untimely death from colorectal cancer, Katie Couric has become one of the most outspoken advocates of colorectal cancer screenings. That’s because she knows all too well how the disease can sneak up on a person who appears to be in the best of health—and how screenings can prevent that.
“[My husband] was pretty much asymptomatic,” Couric told USA Today. “You can be feeling perfectly fine—on top of the world physically—and still have colorectal cancer. One of the many difficult things about this disease is you often have no symptoms. I don’t want people to be full of regret and wish they had simply gotten screened”
Indeed, as Couric now stresses in her awareness efforts, you can’t wait until you feel bad to get screened for colorectal cancer. By the time you have worrisome symptoms, it may be too late. The cancer may have already spread to other areas. Thus, the key to prevention and survival is getting screened when you feel great.
The American Cancer Society recommends that men and women with no known risk factors begin getting regular screenings at age 50. People with a family history of colorectal cancer or other risk factors should consult their physician, however. Screenings may be urged at age 40, or even earlier, if you’re deemed at high risk.
At The Center for Colorectal Health, we conduct fecal occult blood tests (FOBT), a non-invasive screening method that is recommended annually by the American Cancer Society. The test involves capturing of small amount of stool at home for lab processing. Annual FOBT screenings have been found to reduce the risk of death from colorectal cancer by 33%.
Should the test come back positive—indicating the occult, or hidden, presence of blood in the stool—you would be referred for a colonoscopy (a diagnostic exam using a long, flexible, lighted tube) to determine the cause of bleeding. The good news is that if it’s cancer, and you’ve caught it early, the five-year survival rate is greater than 90%.
Next: Screening Method Comparison 