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Colon cancer is the number two cause of cancer death in the U.S. Thankfully, 90 percent of colon cancer deaths are preventable with regular screenings.
Getting a colonoscopy is the best protection
against colorectal cancer. If you're 50 or older, you should receive a
colonoscopy once every 10 years. Depending on your personal family
medical history and risks, you may need to be screened even earlier. A colonoscopy is the best way to find and remove growths before they
become cancerous.
During this test, patients are kept comfortable with
moderate IV sedation while a gastroenterologist uses a flexible,
lighted tube with a tiny camera to examine the inside of the colon. The
procedure itself usually takes less than 30 minutes and is painless.
Schedule Your Colonoscopy
If you would like to make an appointment with a
board-certified gastroenterologist at Hendricks Regional Health, simply
fill out our appointment request form online. You will be contacted and, if needed, staff will assist you in getting a referral from your primary care doctor.
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Certain factors can make you more likely to get
colorectal cancer than another person. See if any of the following statements apply to
you. They are some of the risk factors that could increase your chance for colorectal cancer.
- I am older than age 50.
- People in my immediate family have had colorectal cancer.
- I have had polyps in my colon or rectum.
- I smoke.
- I'm overweight.
- I drink more than one alcoholic drink a day.
- I eat a lot of red meat.
- I’m African American.
Some risk factors, such as having a family
history of cancer or getting older, are out of your control. But some
risk factors – what you eat, how much you weigh, whether you smoke, how
much you drink, and how often you exercise – are factors you can
control. Talk to your doctor to learn more about your personal risk,
and how you can take preventative action.
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