Don't Die of Embarrassment, Get Your Colonoscopy
MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) -- If you had the chance to avoid getting the third-leading cancer killer, you would, right? Then why do half of us avoid having a colonoscopy? Avoidance could be risky, considering the odds of colorectal cancer.
"It's very common," said Edward Greeno, MD, medical director at the Masonic Cancer Clinic at the University of Minnesota. "Something about 5 percent of the population will end up getting colon cancer."
Dr. Greeno is a huge advocate for colonoscopy.
"Because, not only do we find the cancers, but we find the pre-cancerous polyps," he said. "We take those out. They're very easy to take out at the time of colonoscopy."
Colonoscopy is simply an examination of the lining of the colon with a tiny video camera. The colon cancer screening generally begins at the age of 50, much earlier if a sibling or parent had colon cancer.
Although it still requires the cleansing bowel prep, increasing numbers of patients now opt for colonography, a virtual colonoscopy.
"We can accomplish the same thing by doing a special kind of CT scan and use a computer to reconstruct what the inside of the bowel looks like and look at it basically as an X-ray," said Dr. Greeno.
Anything suspicious will then be examined with traditional colonoscopy.
Greeno said he expects to find polyps in up to a third of the population, although 90 percent of the polyps are not high risk for cancer. Greeno said the chance of finding cancer in any given colonoscopy is less than 1 percent.
If the ick factor is keeping you from getting your colonoscopy, Dr. Greeno said imagine the ordeal of getting cancer -- a cancer you could have prevented.
"If there's something there, it's a lot easier to deal with this as a colonoscopy and snip something out, than (to endure) a big surgery and chemotherapy later," he said.
Recent studies show a healthy diet can further reduce your colorectal cancer risk.
Those who eat high-fiber, low-fat foods and lots of fresh fruits and vegetables show a significantly decreased cancer risk.
March is Colorectal Cancer Awareness Month. For more information, go to wcco.com/colorectal.
