Colonoscopy and the Prevention of Colon Cancer

I have said this before, but perhaps it bears repeating. Taking charge of your cancer is not just about what you do when you are diagnosed with it, but what you do to try to insure that you are not diagnosed with it. On a recent trip to my doctor for my annual physical, I pointed out to him that five years had passed since I had my first (and only) colonoscopy. He checked and sure enough I was right; so he ordered me to make an appointment and get it done.

Now let's be clear: I am no fan of colonoscopies, but actually the procedure itself is a piece of cake. It's the preparation for the procedure that is "yucky". For 24 hours prior to the procedure, I ingested only liquids, nothing solid. My doctor gave me a prescription for a concoction called Moviprep, which, when mixed with water and ingested, is designed to induce diarrhea to clean out the colon in preparation for the colonoscopy. Why is this procedure important and what does it have to do with colon cancer?

A colonoscopy is the official screening procedure for colon cancer. It is recommended for individuals age 50 and over. Over a lifetime of food intake, digestion, and subsequent expulsion from the body, an individual can develop growths called polyps along the walls of the colon. Polyps are common in adults and are usually harmless. However, most colon cancer begins as a polyp, so removing polyps early is an effective way to prevent cancer. If bleeding occurs, the doctor can usually stop it with an electrical probe or special medications passed through a scope into the colon. The doctor may extract a biopsy of any polyps in order to view it under the microscope to determine if cancerous tissue is present.

After an intravenous injection and an administration of anesthesia, I was rolled over on my left side and, approximately 20 minutes later, a nurse was calling my name, my doctor was telling me that the procedure went fine and that I was good to go for another five years. Two new words, however, were added to my vocabulary: diverticulosis and diverticulitis. Diverticulosis is characterized by the formation of "pockets" in the lining of the large intestine. Diverticulitis is an acute stage of diverticulosis when the "pockets" have become infected or inflamed. Neither of these conditions is cancerous and can be treated with a gradual high fiber diet for diverticulosis and a low fiber diet for diverticulitis.

The bottom line is that a colonoscopy can detect precancerous growths and those growths can be removed before the development of colon cancer. Colon cancer is more than 90% curable if caught in its early stages, yet fear of the unknown prevents many from undergoing a simple procedure. Get rid of the fear and take charge of the prevention of colon cancer!