Tests and the colon

Filed in archive Digestive Health on March 12, 2007

Seems we're always going in for tests - blood tests, urine samples, blood pressure tests, mammograms. However, there's one important test that women sometimes neglect. An article in the Cherokee Sentinel tells us:

Colon and rectal cancer (colorectal cancer) is the second leading cause of cancer death among men and women in the US.

But many women may not be aware of the prevalence of colorectal cancer and assume that it affects primarily men. Not so! An estimated 74,640 women will be diagnosed with colorectal cancer in 2007 and 26,180 will die from the disease. This is an alarmingly high number of diagnoses and deaths for a cancer that is extremely preventable and treatable. Still, most women are not up to date on screening.

The National Cancer Institute says about screening:

Health care providers may suggest one or more tests for colorectal cancer screening, including fecal occult blood test (FOBT), sigmoidoscopy, colonoscopy, double contrast barium enema (DCBE), or digital rectal exam (DRE).

The article goes on to talk about the reaxons for screening and the various methods of screening that are used.

Graphic from Wikipedia.