Tests & Procedures
Colon Cancer Screening
Tests & Procedures
Colon Cancer Screening
Colon cancer (bowel cancer) is one of the most common types of cancer and one of the leading causes of cancer deaths. It is much easier to cure colon cancer if it is caught early. Colon cancer screening aims to help detect bowel cancer at an early stage before it is causing any symptoms.
Screening also helps detect polyps in the colon. Most colon cancers start as polyps in the wall of the colon or rectum. By identifying and removing colon polyps before they turn cancerous, the future risk of developing colon cancer can be greatly reduced.
Current US (and UAE) guidelines recommend starting some form of colon cancer screening at the age of 45 years – even in the absence of any colon symptoms. The 2 main ways to screen for colon cancer are a stool test to look for hidden blood in the stool every year, or a colonoscopy every 10 years. Colonoscopy has the advantages of being able to detect much smaller polyps than the stool test and being able to remove any polyps or take tissue samples from any other problems that are found.
If you have a history of previous polyps or colon cancer, or a strong family history of colon cancer you should have more frequent colonoscopy checks.
In the UAE there are not currently any population screening programs for colon cancer. You should speak with Dr Neil or your family medicine doctor if you want to arrange screening. Dr Neil will assess your personal risk factors for colon cancer and discuss the optimal timing and frequency of screening.