Colorectal Cancer Prevention
What can I do to lower my risk of colorectal cancer?
To lower the risk of colorectal cancer, the most important thing for someone to do is to get screened. Finding polyps before they ever have a chance to turn into cancer is the most important thing so following the recommended screening guidelines is the number one thing that somebody can do to prevent colorectal cancer. Avoid smoking, drinking alcohol in moderation only, or avoiding alcohol completely, can decrease a person's risk of developing colorectal cancer. Eating a healthy diet that's high in fibre, fruits and vegetables, and low in saturated fats is also important. Having an exercise regime that increases ones cardiovascular fitness has also been, in epidemiologic studies, associated with a decreased risk of colorectal cancer. Other things that can help to decrease one's risk of developing colorectal cancer include using anti-inflammatories like Aspirin or non-steroidal anti-inflammatories like Ibuprofen and Iproxin. In different studies, they have been shown to decrease the incidence of developing polyps - and it's the polyps that later turn into the cancer - so these medications can potentially decrease one's risk of developing colorectal cancer.
When and how often should I be screened for colorectal cancer?
Screening for colorectal cancer for the average-risk person, and that includes both men and women, should start at the age of fifty. And this can include a number of different screening methods. It's not quite clear which of these is superior. But talk with your physician and come up with a screening plan that is right for you. And they include fecal-occult blood testing, which is testing the stool to see if there's any blood present, because polyps and cancers can bleed, and the earliest sign can be picking up the blood on a fecal-occult blood test. That can be done yearly along with a flexible sygmoidoscopy, which is where a flexible scope is inserted into the anus and looks up the rectum and into the sygmoid colon to look for any abnormal polyps. The recommendation for that is once every five years. That can be combined with fecal-occult blood testing too, to increase the sensitivity of the testing. In other words, to have a better chance of finding a colorectal cancer if there's one there. In addition, double-contrast barium enima can be used every five years to evalate for colorectal cancer. And colonoscopy. Colonoscopy is where a scope is put into the rectum and goes around the colon all the way to the, the most proximal part of the colon, the secum, which can look for polyps anywhere along the line. And to be able to biopsy them and to check for the earliest signs of cancer.
