ASGE recommends colonoscopy screening beginning at age 50 and repeating every 10 years after a normal exam. Some studies have shown that African-Americans are more frequently diagnosed with colorectal cancer at a younger age, leading some experts to suggest that African-Americans should begin screening at age 45. Colonoscopy plays a very important role in colorectal cancer screening and prevention because it is the only method that allows for the detection and removal of precancerous polyps during the same exam and before the polyps turn into cancer. Other screening methods, such as CT colonography or fecal occult blood tests, are less invasive and may also indicate the presence of precancerous and cancerous polyps, but they do not allow the removal of these polyps at the time of the exam. Patients with polyps found during these exams would then need to be referred for a colonoscopy.

Colorectal cancer kills nearly 50,000 people each year. Many of those deaths could be prevented with earlier detection. The five-year relative survival rate for people whose colorectal cancer is treated in an early stage is greater than 90 percent. However, only 39 percent of colorectal cancers are found at that early stage. Once the cancer has spread to nearby organs or lymph nodes, the five-year relative survival rate decreases dramatically.

ASGE screening guidelines recommend that, beginning at age 50, asymptomatic men and women at average risk for developing colorectal cancer should have a colonoscopy every 10 years. People with risk factors, such as a family history of colorectal cancer, should begin screening at an earlier age. Patients are advised to discuss their risk factors with their physician to determine when to begin routine colorectal cancer screening and how often they should be screened. Colorectal cancer is often present in people without symptoms. This is why screening for colorectal cancer is so important. The following signs or symptoms, however, might indicate colorectal cancer: blood in your stools, narrower than normal stools, unexplained abdominal pain, unexplained change in bowel habits, unexplained anemia, and unexplained weight loss. These symptoms may be caused by other benign diseases such as hemorrhoids, inflammation in the colon or irritable bowel syndrome. If you experience any of these symptoms for more than a few days, talk with a gastrointestinal specialist about them.

SOURCE American Society for Gastrointestinal Endoscopy