DANVILLE, Pa. — Colorectal cancer is one of the most common types of cancer. The American Cancer Society estimates more than 152,000 people will be diagnosed with colorectal cancer this year. Doctors say the survival rate is high when caught early.
"It is both detectable early in people who are willing to undergo screening, and even preventable by removing precancerous lesions from the colon," said Dr. Irphan Gaslightwala. a gastroenterologist at Geisinger.
Dr. Gaslightwala says colorectal cancer is one of the few cancers we have screenings for—the colonoscopy and noninvasive stool-based testing. He calls the colonoscopy the gold standard of testing.
"The best part about the colonoscopy is its accuracy. The fact that if it's normal, it only needs to be done every ten years."
Current recommendations say to start screening at age 45 as long as you don't have risk factors such as a family history of polyps. Colonoscopies detect precancerous growths.
"If you have them, we can take them out and prevent you from developing a disease that can sometimes be deadly or life-altering."
Most people do not have symptoms, but if you have unintentional weight loss, blood in your stool, or belly pain, talk to your doctor.
"We do this test even if you're feeling well, even if you tell me you have no family history, you're feeling well. To be honest, the majority of our patients with cancer are feeling well. They have no symptoms."
Dr. Gaslightwala recommends his patients eat lots of fruits, vegetables, and lean protein and also avoid smoking and alcohol.