Colon Cancer Screening Recommended for Obese Patients

Colon cancer screening is recommended for all patients over the age of fifty. However, there are some people who are more likely to be at risk of getting colon cancer than others so there are certain groups that receive a strong recommendation to get colon cancer screening thean does the average person. One of those groups is the obese. People who weigh significantly more than they should are at greater risk of developing colon cancer than are people of normal weight. It has even been found to be true that people who are overweight and who then choose to lose weight are going to significantly decrease their risk of getting colon cancer once they have gone down to a normal weight. The best prevention for colon cancer in the obese is for these people to lose weight and to get down to a health BMI. However, that's not going to be the case for everyone. Patients who are obese and who remain obese over time should make sure that they get regular colon cancer screening in order to detect the disease as early as possible so that it can be treated before it becomes fatal. Read one study linking high BMI with high rates of colon cancer here. Question of the Day: How often should obese people get colon cancer screening? photo link