Colon Cancer Screening & Prevention in Lexington, KY

Colorectal cancer is one of the most preventable cancers that we have, yet it remains the second leading cause of cancer deaths among men and women in the U. S.

Screening is indicated at age forty five for patients with with average risk, which means they don't have symptoms or a family history indicating them for earlier screening or a known genetic disorder. Screening guidelines for patients that have a first degree relative with colorectal cancer, they're due for screening ten years to the age of diagnosis that family member. So if my father got diagnosed with colon cancer at fifty two, then I would be indicated at forty two. However, some of those guidelines change based on specific family history, so it's really important to talk to your provider about when you're up to be indicated for your screening exam.

Colonoscopy remains the gold standard for prevention and detection of colorectal cancer. A colonoscopy is the only screening test that we have for colorectal cancer that is able to remove polyps when they are in a precancerous form before they turn into cancer. We want to be finding polyps and removing them before they turn into cancer. Early stage colon cancer has excellent prognosis.

When we find colorectal cancers early stage in patients, more than ninety percent of those patients, when treated appropriately, will be alive and with us five years later.