Kimberly Bekemeier, DO, Cucamonga Valley Medical Group
March is National Colorectal Cancer Awareness Month and with the rates of colon cancer increasing at younger ages, there’s a few things you should know.
To start, do you know how or when to get screened? There are several options to consider and scheduling an annual health exam with our office is a great way to go over your individual health needs. Colon cancer screening includes several modalities, like stool sampling and direct visualization with a colonoscopy. For most individuals without any increased risks like family history, polyps or IBD, colon cancer screening begins at age 45 and continues until age 75 (although some individuals may also continue until 85).
Colonoscopies are when light sedation is given to the patient so that a camera may be inserted into the rectum and directly visualize the length of the colon for any tissue changes, polyps (masses that can become cancerous) or other bowel diseases. It is done by a gastroenterology specialist. Colonoscopies are typically done every 10 years if there is good visualization (meaning the preparation with colon-cleaning liquids was done and successful for 24 hours prior to the procedure) and there were no concerning polyps seen on exam.
Cologuard is another option that is typically done every 3 years if the results are negative. It tests a complete stool sample for DNA changes and blood in your stool. Colon cancer cells often have DNA mutations well before a patient experiences any symptoms or before blood is seen in the stool, so Cologuard allows for very early detection of any possible cancerous changes.
Lastly, fecal occult screening is an option for yearly testing. It looks for microscopic blood in the stool either by chemical or antibody detection in a lab.
For both the Cologuard DNA testing and the Fecal Occult Blood (FOBT or FIT testing) if there is a positive result, your clinician will refer you to the GI specialist and recommend a colonoscopy for direct visualization to further evaluate.
Getting screened at appropriate ages and intervals is important, but did you know there are some things that can also do now that can help lower your risk of colorectal cancers before they even start. Maintaining a good diet and healthy weight are key to preventing and managing a variety of diseases, and colon cancer is no different.
To maintain good colon health, it is recommended to consume a diet high in fiber and low in red meat. An ideal high fiber diet, is eating 30 grams a day of fruits, vegetables, whole grains and legumes (. ns, peas, lentils and peanuts). In addition, one should limit red meat like beef, lamb, and pork to 18 ounces a week and avoid processed meat like hot dogs and bacon.
Striving for an ideal body weight is recommended throughout one’s lifespan, and in terms of preventing colorectal cancers, avoiding excess belly fat can lower your risk of these types of cancers. Watching portion sizes at meals and moving regularly throughout the day are good ways to achieve your ideal body weight. The goal is to move for 30 minutes/day and limit the intake of fast food that has excessive calories that promote weight gain. Lastly, good health habits include avoiding nicotine and smoking and limiting alcohol consumption to no more than 1 drink a day for women and 2 for men.
Working on your health can help prevent you from succumbing to the 3rd leading cause of cancer deaths in both men and women, by lower your risk of developing colorectal cancer. At CVMG, we encourage all adults to talk to their clinician about the best time to start your screening. We want to work with you to fight the growing rate of colorectal cancer diagnoses in our adults aged 40-49 and close the gap on the 25% of adults in the screening range that have never been screened!
