Beginning at age 50, get screened regularly . Be sure to discuss your risk of colon cancer with a doctor. If someone in your family has had this disease, you may need to get screened more often and at an earlier age than 50. Getting regular screening tests is the single best way to lower YOUR colon cancer risk. Screening tests can prevent colon cancer by finding polyps and then removing them.
Polyps are small, non-cancerous tumors in the colon or rectum, which sometimes turn into cancer.
There are four options for getting screened for colon cancer. Talk to a doctor about which one is right for you. You can do this test at home, using a special kit from a doctor or nurse. A doctor inserts a long, lighted tube into the rectum and part of the colon to check for polyps and cancer. This test is very similar to sigmoidoscopy but is able to check the entire colon polyps and cancer, rather than just one section.