Colon Cancer Screening is Important

Don't Make the Mistake of Skipping Colon Cancer Screening

True or False: It's OK to Skip Colon Cancer Screening Because I have No Family History of Cancer.

The vast majority of colon cancer cases are not related to genetics or family history. In fact, only about 5% of colon cancer cases in the United States each year are due to a known "cancer gene". Another 20% of cases occur in people with a family history of the disease, but for whom no specific abnormal gene has been identified as contributing to colon cancer.

This leaves approximately 75% of people who are diagnosed with colon cancer each year for no obvious reason. These are considered sporadic cases.

Given that 3 out of 4 colon cancer cases occur in people with no known genetic cause or family history, it makes sense to make colon cancer screening a priority. If you are over 50, the age at which most health experts recommend people begin screening for colon cancer, talk to your doctor about scheduling screening as soon as possible.

If you need another reason to spur you to action, think about this. The five-year survival rate for people in whom colon cancer is detected in the earliest stages, when it is still confined to the colon, is over 90%. If cancer has spread beyond the colon to other distant areas in the body, five-year survival falls to an abysmal 9.8%. These statistics make it clear why colon cancer screening saves lives. When detected early, colon cancer is not the killer that people fear.

Sources

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_{Kwak EL, Chung DC. Hereditary colorectal cancer syndromes: an overview. Clin Colorectal Cancer 2007 6:340-44.}

_{National Human Genome Research Institute. Learning About Colon Cancer. Accessed: January 25, 2009.
http://www.genome.gov/10000466}

_{Newton RU, Galvão DA. Exercise in prevention and management of cancer. Curr Treat Options Oncol 2008 9:135-46.}

_{American Cancer Society. Cancer Facts & Figures 2007. Accessed: January 25, 2009.
http://www.cancer.org/downloads/STT/CAFF2007PWSecured.pdf}