Colon Cancer Prevention

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 "It’s a small inconvenience. Every ten years. If we catch a polyp, it saves your life. It doesn’t get any simpler than that."—Sandeep Kumar, MD

Colon cancer is the fourth most frequently diagnosed cancer and the second leading cause of cancer death in the United States. Men and women should have a colonoscopy every ten years beginning at age 50.* Don’t put it off—colon cancer can be prevented.

“Colon cancer screening is so important because it’s a preventable cancer,” explained Dr. Nazmul Hoque, internist/gastroenterologist. The Center for Disease Control and Prevention estimates 50%–60% of colon cancer deaths could be avoided if men and women aged 50 and older were screened regularly (at least every 10 years).

“Lung cancer starts out as cancer, but colon cancer starts out as pre-cancerous polyps that develop for five to ten years before actually becoming cancer. If we find the pre-cancerous lesion and remove it, we avoid cancer,” explained Dr. Hoque. When cancer is found, early treatment can also be more effective. For example, patients diagnosed with stage I colon cancer have a 90% five-year survival rate. These patients usually don’t have symptoms. Stage IV colon cancer, in contrast, has a 10% five-year survival rate.

“Our body makes billions of new cells every day,” said Dr. Erik Swensson, general surgeon. “Whenever a new cell is made, there’s a chance that it could be abnormal. Sometimes the body doesn’t see it. You’ve got to find problems before they proliferate.”