When it Matters Most: High-Risk Patient Controls Colon Cancer Risk with Regular Screenings

Sara always suspected she was at high risk for colon cancer. Her mom had colon cancer three times, and both of her grandparents had the disease. Because of her family history, she had her first colonoscopy in her 30s. An all-clear result put her on a schedule to repeat the test in five to eight years. But Sara wondered if this was frequent enough.

She came to the Stanford Health Care Digestive Health Center for a second opinion. At her first appointment, Dr. Uri Ladabaum, MD, Director of Stanford’s GI Cancer Prevention Program, allayed her fears. “He said, ‘We’re going to develop a plan for you. It’s going to be okay,’” said Sara.

“Colorectal cancer is one of the leading causes of death from cancer, but the majority of deaths from colorectal cancer are preventable,” said Dr. Ladabaum. “Screening is proven to decrease the risk.” A routine colonoscopy allows doctors to both detect and remove small growths called polyps, all during one outpatient procedure. By removing polyps early, before they are left to develop into cancerous lesions, colonoscopies can prevent colon cancer from ever developing.

Because of her family history, Dr. Ladabaum recommended she have a colonoscopy every year, not every five to eight years. Sara has faithfully followed his advice, coming to Stanford annually, despite living three hours away. Her tests had all been clear until a year ago when Dr. Ladabaum found and removed a medium-sized polyp. If left to grow, she said, the polyp would have become cancerous.

“Colon cancer is completely preventable, so why not go and get a colonoscopy?” Sara asked. “I can’t control if I get a polyp, but I can control if we get it out in time.”

Learn More:

[vincestone]

Colonoscopy is done every 10years for those whose scope is normal.
However what happens if a colon polyp started forming only a year or two after a normal scope was found?
By the time of the next scope, it would have 8 years to grow!
I understand that a Prof Arbor of Israel has found a blood that can detect colon polyp thus saving people from unnessary colonoscopies.
What happened to it?

[unpeacedralberteinsteinsze]

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