The detection of colon cancerTo detect colon cancer early, everyone, even people who are not at high risk, ie, no symptoms and no family history of colon cancer should be examined. Cancer specialists suggest that the detection of these people start at 50 years old and consist of tests that detect colon cancer in the body:
Colonoscopy at least every ten years
Sigmoidoscopy at least every 5 years
Double contrast barium enema at least every 5 years or
Virtual colonoscopy (computed tomographic colonography), at least every 5 years
These tests allow a physician to actually see the growth or cancer of the colon. The frequency with which these tests are repeated depends on what is found during the procedure.
Cancer specialists also recommend tests to look for blood in the stool, such as:
Annual guaiac fecal occult blood test (gFOBT)
These tests detect the presence of blood in the stool tumors. Generally these tests are not as effective in detecting colon cancer than those who detect cancer in the body.
Colon cancer stage determines the treatment and survival rates for 5 years
If the disease is detected as a small polyp during a routine screening test such as colonoscopy, the polyp can usually be taken during the colonoscopy without the need for surgical removal of any two points.