Most patients who develop colon cancer have no obvious risk factors. Colon cancer grows from precancerous polyps that rarely cause symptoms.Polyps are growths on the inside of the colon that can become cancerous.
Know when to get a colonoscopy.
Are you 50 years old? Do you have a family history of colon cancer? Starting at age 50, get regular colon cancer screenings. Start at age 45 if you are African-American. That’s the age at which your risk starts increasing. If colon cancer runs in your family, talk to your doctor about starting screenings earlier.
Why a colonoscopy?
It is the best tool we have to screen AND remove polyps at the same time. The procedure is safe in the hands of experts. it’s important to find an experienced colonoscopist who can spot polyps of different shapes in locations that can be difficult to find and who knows how to take them off in the safest way possible.
Learn more at clevelandclinic.org/marchforth
Like BlackAmericaWeb.com on Facebook. Follow us on Twitter.
Get Well Wednesday: Colon Cancer Is Curable and Preventable was originally published on blackamericaweb.com
