Colon Cancer Screening Should Start at Age 50
An advisory group in the United States has a recommendation to make to the patients at an increased risk of colon cancer. According to the advisory group, regular colon cancer screening should begin at 50 and continue until the person has reached the age of 75.
The panel of health experts has actually reiterated the recommendation last made in 2008. However, according to reports, the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force stopped short of saying any one method of screening colon cancer was better than another.
Former Task Force member Dr. Douglas Owens says that there are multiple methods for screening available for patients at an increased risk of colorectal cancer. They should choose any one of the available methods in consultation with their doctor and get screened regularly after they reach 50 years of age.
The panel's recommendation to choose any one method of screening goes against the recommendation made by a majority of doctors who advise to get a colonoscopy done. According to physicians, colonoscopy is one of the "gold standard" test.
Dr. Arun Swaminath of the Lenox Hill Hospital in New York City says that there is only one test that can both diagnose polyp or cancer of the colon and sample or remove it at the same time.
Swaminath believes that getting a colonoscopy done is the key because any other screening method would anyways require a colonoscopy to be done later for confirmation of cancer. For example, DNA test and CT colonoscopy eventually require a colonoscopy to confirm the problem and treat it.
The American Cancer Society recommends colonoscopy to be done once every 10 years, starting at the age of 50. Or, the patient may decide to undergo other screening tests that are required to be conducted at more frequent intervals.
