Meera Soni M.D.

TGIF! And also, it’s Colon Cancer Awareness month people 💩

Did you know the lifetime risk for colorectal cancer is 1 in 23 for men and 1 in 25 for women?

For the average risk patient, how do we screen you and how often?

🔸Colonoscopy - every 10 years
🔸Sigmoidoscopy - every 5 years
🔸CT colonography - every 5 years
🔸Guaic based f***l occult test (gFOBT) - every year
🔸Fecal immunochemical test (FIT) - every year

(Time intervals are also based on any abnormalities detected during screening)

When do we start screening?

🔹For average risk patients, we used to start screening at age 50, but based on changing guidelines, we may start screening at age 45 after assessing risk and shared decision making.
🔹For patients with a strong family history of colon cancer, patients should start at age 40 or 10 years before the age of diagnosis of cancer in their relative.
🔹In patients with a history of inflammatory bowel disease, patients should start screening at 8 years after their diagnosis.

Factors that may increase your risk:
🔺Being obese can put you at higher risk
🔺Physical inactivity
🔺Diet high in red and/or processed meat
🔺Smoking
🔺Heavy alcohol use (No, it doesn’t mean you can’t enjoy a glass or two this weekend 🍷)

Ask your doctor about screening today!

For more on colon cancer awareness:
https://www.google.com/amp/s/amp.cancer.org/cancer/colon-rectal-cancer/about/key-statistics.html