Reagan (Atlanta) – 12:08 PM:
My mother is a colon cancer survivor and I have had many GI issues, which have been mostly reflux issues. I am 36 and I am wondering if I should be pre-emptive and receive a colonoscopy now, rather than waiting until I am 40?

Dr. Manoj Mehta
For you, traditionally we would start at 40 with colonoscopies. The exception is if your mother was diagnosed very young (below 50). In other words, if she had colon cancer at 36, it would not make sense for you to wait till 40. In these instances, the rule of thumb is ten years younger than your family member with colon cancer. So, in the example above, 26.