Nov 28, 2005

Not Enough People Getting Colon Cancer Screening

This number should read as 100 percent, but sadly it only reads as 54 percent. I can only feel sorry for those folks who avoid colonoscopy, because by regular routine colonoscopy you can almost eliminate the risk of developing colon cancer by removing those polyps, which are pre-cancerous condition.

Once in three year colonoscopy screening is recommended for every adult male and female but only 54 percent of these people undergo routine colonoscopy screening.

Also, like any other type of cancer, cure rates for colorectal cancer are high when the disease is detected and treated early. Currently, it is recommended that people 50 years of age or older and those at a high risk for colorectal cancer, be screened for the disease. Screening methods include testing for blood in the stool (fecal occult blood test), sigmoidoscopy, colonoscopy, and barium enema.

To determine the extent to which primary care patients are receiving recommended colorectal cancer screening, researchers evaluated patients enrolled in a large managed care organization based in Detroit. The study involved 21,833 patients who were between the ages of 55 and 70.

The study showed that only 54% of patients received recommended colorectal cancer screening and among patients who were screened, colonoscopy was the most common screening procedure and was used by 40% of screened patients.


Sue      Return to Colon Cancer Blog Main

Do You Read All Of Our Cancer Blogs?

Do you read all of the blogs published by medicineworld.org? Many of our bloggers are busy keeping you updated on the various health related topics. We publish the following blogs at this time.

Cancer blog: I manage the cancer blog with lots of help and support form other bloggers. Through this cancer blog my friends and I try to bring stories of hope for patients with cancer. The cancer blog often republishes important blog posts from other cancer related blogs at Medicineworld.org. If you are searching for a blog that covers wide variety of cancer topics, this may be the one for you.

Breast cancer blog: Breast cancer blog is run by Emily and other bloggers and they bring you the latest stories, news and events that are related to breast cancer. Increasing awareness about breast cancer among women and in the general population is the main goal of this breast cancer blog.

Lung cancer blog: Lung cancer blog is managed by Scott with the help of other bloggers. Through this blog Scott and his friends constantly remind the readers about the dangers of smoking. It's a never-ending struggle against this miserable disease with which a social stigma of smoking is associated.

Colon cancer blog: Colon cancer blog is run by Sue and other bloggers. Sue brings a personal touch to the colon cancer blog since her mother died of colon cancer few years ago. She writes about stories, research news and advances in treatment related to colon cancer.

Prostate cancer blog: Prostate cancer is the most common cancer among American men. American Cancer Society estimates that over 230,000 new cases of prostate cancer occur in the United state every year. This important blog about prostate cancer is run by Mark and other bloggers. This blog brings news, stories, and other personal observations related to prostate cancer.

Medicineworld.org publishes a diabetes watch blog and this blog is run by JoAnn other bloggers. This diabetes watch blog brings you the latest in the field of diabetes. This includes personal stories, advances in diagnosis and treatment, and other observations about diabetes. Improving awareness about diabetes is an important mission of this group.

Janet      

Colorectal cancer
Colorectal cancer is a malignant tumor that arises from the inner wall of the large intestine or rectum. Colorectal cancer is the third commonest cancer diagnosed in the United States. Each year over 100,000 people are diagnosed with colorectal cancer in the United States. Most, of these cancers develop from growths in the colon called polyps. Removal of these polyps can prevent colon cancer.