How Often To Get A Colorectal?

What is a Colorectal? It’s a routine screening performed even though there are no symptoms, and a preventative precaution to avoid the risk of Colon Cancer.

How often should I get a colorectal screening?

The short answer is whenever you have enough symptoms or are around the age of 50.

A statement by the US Preventative Services Task Force said..

“Colorectal cancer is the second leading cause of cancer death in the United States. In 2016, an estimated 134,000 persons will be diagnosed with the disease, and about 49,000 will die from it. Colorectal cancer is most frequently diagnosed among adults aged 65 to 74 years; the median age at death from colorectal cancer is 68 years.”

The USPSTF recommends screening for colorectal cancer starting at age 50 years and continuing until age 75 years.

What is the first sign of colon cancer?

What are the signs that you should have a Colonoscopy?

Changes in routine bowel movement might give a clue to impending colon cancer. Things like…

• Blood in your stools
• Suddenly stools are running (not solid)
• Diarrhea lasting for days at a time
• Bloating of the abdominal area
• The bowel not feeling completely empty afterward
• Feeling like you have to go to the bathroom but can’t
• General weakness or feeling lethargic

If you have a combined sum or all of these symptoms, you should definitely see a doctor. Colon cancer is one of the hardest things to go through and detected early on, it can be prevented; if it is caught too late, it’s one of the hardest to reverse.

What’s involved in a colorectal exam at the doctor?

The doctor will do a colonoscopy, it involves a small tube with a camera at the end. It only takes seconds and it’s over. There are at-home kits you can buy, but it will be nowhere near as effective as having a conversation with a doctor.

The doctor will be looking for what’s called Polyps. The National Cancer Institute has this to say about Polyp’s.

“Most colorectal cancers begin as a polyp, a growth in the tissue that lines the inner surface of the colon or rectum. Polyps may be flat, or they may be raised. Raised polyps may grow on the inner surface of the colon or rectum like mushrooms without a stalk (sessile polyps), or they may grow like a mushroom with a stalk (pedunculated polyps). Polyps are common in people older than 50 years of age, and most are not cancer.”

At Whitefish Family Doctor, we do Osteopathic Treatment, it’s where we look at the person as a whole and actually get to know our patients, their habits, lifestyle, and physical health. We treat people, not just symptoms.

About Our Osteopathic Doctor

Thomas J. Kane is originally from a small farm in Northern Nebraska, where he attended the University of Nebraska and obtained a degree in Bio Science. In 1994, he graduated medical school and did his residency in Whitefish, MT. After meeting his wife shortly after, Our Doctor decided to stay and practice family medicine in Whitefish. Now, after 20 years, he has one of the most respected family medicine clinics in the Whitefish, MT area.

Think you might need a conversation with the doctor? Call (406) 334-2204 us and schedule a visit.