The Importance of Colon Screening in Corbin, KY
Baptist Health Corbin: The Importance of Colon Screening
It’s important to have a colon screening early to detect colon cancer and preserve quality of life. Learn more about colon screen tests at Baptist Health Corbin.
The Importance of Colon Screening in Corbin, KY HealthTalks Transcript
Karen Jennings-Conklin, MD, Gastroenterology:
Colon cancer is the third most common cancer among men and women in the United States. The good news is that the rate of people being diagnosed with colon cancer each year has dropped overall since the mid-1980s. More and more people are getting screened and changing their diets to more healthy diets.
The present thought is that we should start screening people at age 45. It is important to screen early so that we can detect polyps in their early stage. It will sometimes take a polyp 10 to 15 years to turn into colon cancer. However, if the polyp is detected early during a screening, it can be removed easily. What we do is use a device that we pass through the colonoscope to remove the polyp.
Screening can be done at Baptist Health Corbin. You would need a doctor’s order. You can get this from your primary care doctor. It is very rewarding to find colon cancer when it is early because you know that the patient has a good chance of doing well over his or her lifetime.
