2 Tools to Help Prevent Colorectal Cancer

How to Prevent Colon Cancer

Healthy Lifestyle Choices

Whatever your age, your health-care provider will advise you to take some of the following steps to reduce your risk for colorectal cancer:

• Maintain a healthy weight
• Eat more foods that are healthy for your colon and avoid those that can cause colon and rectum inflammation
• Drink alcohol only occasionally and in small amounts
• Exercise regularly
• Avoid smoking entirely

Screening

If you are age 45 or older or have a family history of colon or rectum cancer, you will be advised to have one of several screening tests for colorectal cancer. Most colon and rectum cancers are thought to begin with a benign tissue growth called a polyp. A screening test, such as a colonoscopy, can locate and remove pre-cancerous tissue polyp growth from the colon or rectum before it turns into cancer. This can be lifesaving!

Your primary care doctor or your gastroenterologist may recommend one of the following screening tests to prevent colon or rectum cancer, or to find it at its earliest stage.

• Stool test for blood, either guaiac or fecal immunochemical test (FIT): once yearly
• Stool fecal immunochemical DNA test: once every 1-3 years
• Flexible sigmoidoscopy: every 5 years (or every 10 years with FIT test)
• Colonoscopy: every 10 years unless polyps are found, or you have a family or personal history of colon cancer, rectal cancer, or a cancer risk gene mutation
• CT colonoscopy, also called virtual colonoscopy: every 5 years

Young People and Colon Cancer: An Alarming Trend

For many years, colon and rectal cancer were thought of as cancers of older people. This is no longer true. Over the past decade, we have seen an alarming rise in colorectal cancers in people under age 40, and even younger. While it is well known that certain inherited genetic mutations lead to early colon, rectal, and other cancers, that does not explain the disturbing increase in young colorectal cancers.

The incidence of inherited genetic conditions in the population is not increasing. Instead, lifestyle and dietary habits are changing. More people are overweight, and more people eat diets that significantly increase inflammation in the colon, such as fried and greasy foods. These foods subsequently increase the risk of colon cancer.

What Medical Science Knows…and You Should Know 

Let's take a quick look at what medical science knows about colon cancer—and what every person and every family should know.

• Everyone is at risk for colon and rectal cancer. It is the second leading cause of cancer death among women and men combined. Some people are at significantly higher risk because they have family members who have had colon cancer, rectal cancer, uterine (endometrial) or other cancer. Be sure to talk about this with your family and your doctor. Genetic counselors at Penn Medicine Lancaster General Health's Cancer Risk Evaluation Program can help. 
• Healthy diet with lots of leafy vegetables and legumes (beans) decrease the chance of getting colon or rectal cancer.
• Some foods, such as red meat and fried foods, increase the chance getting colon or rectal cancer.
• Exercise and a healthy body weight decrease the chance of getting colon or rectal cancer.
• Obesity increases the chance getting colon or rectal cancer.
• A colon cancer screening test, stool test, colonoscopy of virtual colonoscopy, can prevent colon cancer and can save your life 

Now it's time to take action. Talk to your doctor about your risk factors for colon cancer and which screening option is best for you, and find a provider or practice that performs colonoscopies.