Study: One Burger a Day Raises Cancer Risk – COLON CANCER

Most kinds of cancer are named after the part of the body where it starts. Colon cancer begins in the digestive system, also called the gastrointestinal system. This is where food is changed for energy and the body rids waste. American Cancer Society guidelines for early colon cancer detection recommend that beginning at age 50, men and women follow one of these five testing options:

– Yearly fecal occult blood test. Used to find small amounts of hidden (occult) blood in the stool.

– Flexible sigmoidoscopy every five years. A sigmoidoscope is a slender, lit tube about the thickness of a finger. It is placed into the lower part of the colon through the rectum. This lets the doctor see inside the rectum and part of the colon for cancer or polyps. Because the tube is about 2 feet long, the doctor can only see half of the colon.

– Yearly FOBT and flexible sigmoidoscopy every five years (preferred over either option alone).

– Double-contrast barium enema every five years. A chalky substance partly fills and opens the colon. Air is pumped in so the colon expands; this allows for X-rays.

– Colonoscopy every 10 years. The colonoscope is a longer version of the sigmoidoscope. It lets the doctor see the entire colon. If a polyp is found, the doctor may remove it. Any other abnormality may require a biopsy. All positive tests should be followed with colonoscopy.

People should begin colon cancer testing earlier and/or undergo testing more often if they have any of the following risk factors:

– Personal or family history of colon cancer or a personal or family history of intestinal polyps.

– Personal history of inflammatory bowel disease (ulcerative or Crohn’s colitis).

– Certain genetic factors (familial adenomatous polyposis, Gardner’s syndrome, hereditary nonpolyposis colorectal cancer).

SOURCE: American Cancer Society