Find out who should be screened for colon cancer and when?
Do you need to have a family history of colon cancer to undergo a colon cancer screening? In fact, with colon cancer rates on the rise in both men and women, it’s essential that you are getting regular screenings from our Flemington, Hillsborough, NJ, gastroenterologist Dr. Anubha Sinha regardless of risk factors.
Everyone Needs to Be Screened
Yes, it’s true—every man and woman will need to get screened by our team for colorectal cancer, regardless of whether you are experiencing issues or not. Of course, there are certain risk factors that our Flemington, Hillsborough, NJ, team will look at to determine when and how often to get a colon cancer screening. Risk factors include family history, lifestyle and ethnicity. If you are unsure of your risk factors, it’s time to talk with your gastroenterologist.
When to Get Screened
Here are reasons to turn to our team for a colon cancer screening,
You are experiencing symptoms
People often come into our practice because they are dealing with digestive issues that aren’t going away. If you are dealing with abdominal pain, unexpected weight loss or changes in bowel movements that last for more than a week, then it’s worth it to turn to our team.
Even though many digestive problems can cause these symptoms, not just colon cancer, a colonoscopy will allow us to diagnose most intestinal issues, including bleeds, polyps, inflammation, and ulcers.
You just turned 45 years old
Happy Birthday to you! Now that you have reached 45, it’s time to book your first colon cancer screening with you. You don’t need to be experiencing symptoms, and you don’t need to be dealing with health problems to benefit from this screening. All men and women should start getting routine screenings by age 45.
You have a family history of colorectal cancer or colon polyps
If you have a family history of polyps or colorectal cancer, this is something you should let our team know about. Due to this risk factor, we may recommend that you start getting regular colon cancer screening starting at age 40.
You’ve been diagnosed with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD)
Having an inflammatory bowel disease such as ulcerative colitis or Crohn’s disease can also put you at an increased risk for colon polyps and colorectal cancer, so you’ll want to speak with our team about whether you should be screened before age 45.
If you need to schedule your next colon cancer screening with our Flemington, and Hillsborough, NJ, GI doctor Dr. Sinha and the Hunterdon Digestive Health Specialists team, call us today at (908) 788-8200 to book your next appointment.