Research Emphasizes Importance of Colon Cancer Screening

Nobody wants to go to the doctor to get a colonoscopy. But recent research completed in the UK suggests that the effectiveness of colon cancer screening should outweigh the minor discomfort of having it done. The study was completed in the United Kingdom over the course of five years to determine whether or not bowel cancer screening was effective. It found that it is not only effective as a tool for identifying bowel cancer but that it also significantly reduces the devastation of the disease. The most important finding of the study was that the screening reduced the number of emergency room patients undergoing operation by fifty percent. In other words, if you were to go into an emergency room presenting with symptoms of bowel cancer, you'd have a fifty percent chance of not needing emergency surgery if you instead got appropriate screening. This is important because the study also found that the number of people who did undergo the surgery were significantly more likely to live if they had been screened. There are several different ways to screen for colon cancer. The virtual colonscopy is one method that is commonly used. Screening is regularly recommended as a preventive tool for people age fifty or older. By using such screening, you can reduce the spread of the disease through early detection. Sure, the colonscopy isn't the most comfortable procedure in the world but it's a lot better than emergency surgery for colon cancer, isn't it? Question of the Day: If you have ignored your doctor's recommendations to screen for colon cancer, what were your reasons?