This year alone, the American Cancer Society estimates that more than 48,000 men and women in the United States will die, and 98,200 new cases of colon cancer and 37,200 new cases of rectal cancer will be diagnosed. The advancement of the disease also can be thwarted by removing pre-malignant lesions that can be detected by screening tests. Colorectal cancer often begins withbenign polyps in the colon, says Dr. Rajeev Vasudeva, a Columbia gastroenterologist and director of the Division of the Digestive Diseases and Nutrition at USC's medical school. But tests can detect polyps before they become cancer. Although many people know that early screening detects colorectal cancer, they often fear that the tests, particularly the sigmoidoscopy and colonoscopy, will be painful and unpleasant, Vasudeva says.
Colorectal cancer is a disease that works covertly and quietly.
The key is to detect the cancer early before damage can be done. Fortunately, the technology exists to detect and remove polyps before they become malignant. Many patients are pleasantly surprised by the ease of the tests. While costs of the tests also concerns patients, Vasudeva says some insurance companies pay for colon cancer screening, and many other companies are looking at their reimbursement guidelines. Bostick says that women are just as likely to develop colorectal cancer as men and that the disease is most common after age 50.