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Colon cancer is one of the most common cancers among men and women in the United States, but many people who should be screened are not. New research suggests that there may be a solution: home-based testing.
The review, published in the Annals of Internal Medicine, examined 30 studies of annual home-based tests called FIT (fecal immunochemical test) and revealed their effectiveness for screening colorectal cancer in people at moderate risk.
"There are different ways to get tested – one of them is colonoscopy and it's a very good choice for a lot of people," said CBS News chief medical correspondent. , Dr. Jon LaPook. "But for people who do not want the colonoscopyknow that there are alternatives. The FIT test is one of these solutions. It's about looking for invisible blood in the stool. "
Blood in the stool can be an early symptom of Colon polypsor excrescences in the lining of the colon or rectum, or colon cancer.
Currently, only 65% of people who should be screened for colorectal cancer do so. LaPook, a gastroenterologist, hopes that access to less invasive and intimidating tests will increase screening rates.
"The strong point here is that FIT seems to be a very good test for detecting colon cancer – it's a poorer test for colon polyps, but it's definitely better to do nothing," she said. he declared.
With colon cancer increases in young people, last year, the American Cancer Society began recommend to adults at medium risk to start testing at age 45 instead of age 50.
According to the American Cancer Society, people are considered medium risk if they do not show:
- Personal history of colorectal cancer or certain types of polyps
- A family history of colorectal cancer
- Personal history of inflammatory bowel disease such as ulcerative colitis or Crohn's disease
- Confirmed or suspected hereditary colorectal cancer syndrome, such as familial adenomatous polyposis or Lynch syndrome (hereditary non-polyposis colon cancer)
- Personal history of radiotherapy of the abdomen or pelvic area to treat an earlier cancer
The researchers in the new report point out that while colonoscopy is considered the benchmark for colon cancer screening in the United States and in other countries like the United Kingdom, Canada, and Italy, it is only practiced in at-risk individuals with FIT results that are positive.
Patrice Brown, of the Colorectal Cancer Alliance, reminds people to look for symptoms and know your risk factors.
Common symptoms include changes in bowel habits, changes in stool consistency, blood in the stool, and abdominal pain.
Risk factors include family history, obesity, inactivity, smoking and a diet rich in red and processed meats.
And since colorectal cancer is one of the most curable types of cancer if it is detected early, Brown also encourages everyone to follow the recommendations for screening.
"Our motto is that the best test is the test that is performed independently of the method," she said.
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