According to study results of 95,464 women published in Gut, there were 109 incident early-onset cancer cases over up to 24-years of follow-up. Compared with women who consumed less than one serving per week of sugary drinks, women who consumed more than two servings per day of had a 2.2-fold higher risk for early-onset colon
Patients who did not have a colonoscopy as recommended after a positive fecal occult blood test had a 103% higher risk of death, compared with those who had a colonoscopy. The cumulative mortality for CRC was 6.8 per 1,000 (95% CI, 5.9-7.6) for compliant patients and 16 per 1,000 (95% CI, 13.1-18.9) for noncompliant patients
Seth (Chicago) – 12:47 PM:Are there any downsides to screening? Can it do more harm than good in any instances? Dr. Manoj Mehta Any screening test is only worth its trade-offs. That’s why we select the patients, and do not just do it on everyone. We call the threshold a “pre-test probability”. So, if you
Jose (Chicago, Illinois) – 12:40 PM:Is surgery the only way to cure colon cancer? Dr. Manoj Mehta Well, the transition from polyp to cancer is a gradual one, so we do sometimes see what we call “cancerous polyps”. They are on the edge between a polyp and an invasive cancer. By removing these polyps, we
Jim (Buffalo Grove, IL) – 12:44 PM:You mention a virtual colonoscopy. How does this procedure work and is it a viable option to the traditional colonoscopy? Dr. Manoj Mehta A traditional colonoscopy has the ability to not just identify polyps but remove them. So they are not really equivalent. A virtual colonoscopy is more like
James (Morton Grove, IL) – 12:30 PM:I have family history of polyps but no colon cancer. My family has had several other types of cancer (brain, breast, non-smokers lung). Does this put me in the high-risk category? Dr. Manoj MehtaYes. There are some cancer-family syndromes to be aware of. Breast cancer is fairly common, and
Dan (Arlington Heights) – 12:26 PM:Thank you for your response. Could you elaborate on what is involved with the preparation? Dr. Manoj Mehta Unfortunately, any bowel exam will require a prep. Even newer modalities on the horizon such as a virtual colonoscopy will still require a prep. The quality of your prep is proportional to
Andrea (Glenview) – 12:34 PM:What prompts the development of polyps in the first place? Does it have anything to do with the types of foods people eat? Dr. Manoj Mehta Colon polyps develop from a wide variety of factors. Part, of course is genetic, and has to do with our ability to repair local genetic
Jose (Chicago, Illinois) – 12:18 PM:What are the different stages of colon cancer? Dr. Manoj Mehta There are a number of staging systems, but generally 1-4 would be a traditional scale. Stage 1 is confined to the colon lining, 2 and 3 deeper through the lining, and 4 spread to distant organs. It is important
Dan (Arlington Heights) – 12:16 PM:I have a standing order to get a colonoscopy so I understand why a screening is important and necessary. My concern is the actual procedure. I’m a bit hesitant because of the invasiveness of the procedure. What advice or guidance can you offer to help mitigate my apprehension? Dr. Manoj
