RAPID CITY, S.D.— According to the American Cancer Society colon cancer is the second leading cause of cancer death in the United States. But with early screening it also one of the most preventable types of cancer. But who should get tested and when? Monument Health Gastroenterologist Dr. Emuekevoke Okoh says, “Everybody starting at the age of 45 and then certainly, if there’s any family history of colon cancer, any predisposing conditions, people with chronic inflammatory bowel disease and chronic inflammation of the colon, these are things that might predispose.”
Alternative screening methods have come out in recent years. However, the doctors at Monument Health say a colonoscopy is still the most effective way to screen for cancer. Dr. Okoh says, “There are alternatives. Certainly cancer detection tests, fecal occult tests for antigens have gotten more and more sensitive recently, recently over the last few years. So those are definitely valid options, but we generally think of the gold standard as colonoscopy.”
And even if cancer is found Doctor Okoh says there is more hope for patients than there used to be. According to Dr. Okoh, “It is a fairly treatable and even curable cancer, even in more advanced stages compared to other cancers. So if we can even find colon cancer in early stage, as opposed to finding it in pre cancerous polyps and removing them with a colonoscopy, we can still make a huge difference. And we’re having cure rates in excess of 90% in people who have identified stage one, two, sometimes three colon cancer.”
Doctor Okoh says the key to successful treatment of colon cancer is early detection and recommends everyone gets checked at the age of 45.
