Colorectal Cancer Screening
One of the most preventable cancers, and one of the most commonly put off.
Colorectal cancer usually begins as a polyp, a small growth on the lining of the colon. Polyps grow slowly and cause no symptoms, which is what makes screening so effective: they can be found and removed long before they ever become cancer. Screening is not simply early detection. It is prevention.
When to Start
Screening begins at age 45 for people at average risk. That age was lowered from 50 because colorectal cancer has been rising in younger adults. If you are 45 or older and have never been screened, you are due now.
You may need to start earlier, or be screened more often, if you have a family history of colorectal cancer or advanced polyps, a personal history of polyps or inflammatory bowel disease, or certain inherited conditions. Tell us about any relatives affected and at what age they were diagnosed, since that changes the timing.
Symptoms Are Not the Trigger for Screening
Screening is for people who feel well. By the time colorectal cancer produces symptoms, it is generally further along and harder to treat. Waiting until something feels wrong defeats the purpose.
That said, symptoms need attention at any age — rectal bleeding, a change in bowel habits lasting more than a few weeks, persistent abdominal pain, unexplained weight loss, or unexplained anemia. If you have any of these, you need a diagnostic evaluation rather than routine screening. Do not wait until you turn 45, and do not assume bleeding is hemorrhoids.
Why Colonoscopy
Several screening tests exist, including stool-based tests you complete at home. They have a real place, particularly for people who will not otherwise get screened at all. But they detect; they do not treat. An abnormal stool test still requires a colonoscopy afterward.
Colonoscopy is the only screening test that examines the entire colon directly and removes polyps during the same exam. If nothing is found, most average-risk patients do not need another for ten years.
What Is Involved
The preparation is the part people dread, and honestly it is the least pleasant part. The procedure itself is done under sedation and most patients remember none of it. Plan on three to four hours at the surgery center, and arrange for someone to drive you home — that is required, not a suggestion.
Our What to Expect page walks through the whole day, and prep instructions are on the Patient Information page.
Scheduling Without an Office Visit
If you are due for routine screening and in generally good health, you may not need a separate consultation first. Send us your information through our direct access colonoscopy page and a member of our clinical staff will call to review your history and schedule the procedure.
A Note on Coverage
Most plans cover screening colonoscopy at the recommended interval for average-risk patients. Be aware that if a polyp is found and removed, some plans reclassify the procedure as diagnostic rather than screening, which can change what you owe. Your carrier can tell you how your plan handles this, and our staff can help you ask the right question.