Like many other cancers, colon cancer is an insidious disease that progresses without warning symptoms. More common from the age of sixty, it only gives symptoms at an already advanced stage: It is the second leading cause of cancer death in France and the 1sttime after 85 years according to the National Cancer Institute (INCa).
This is why doctors generally advise people over 50, without risk factors, to participate in the organized colorectal cancer screening , through a test that detects the presence of blood in the stool.
But for people at increased risk (that is to say with a family history of colorectal cancer or inflammatory bowel disease), doctors strongly recommend an early colonoscopy: “In 9 out of 10 cases, colorectal cancer can be cured. if it is detected early. The chances of recovery depend exclusively on the stage of development at which it is discovered; at an early stage, this cancer can be cured in 100% of cases ”explains the French Society of Digestive Endoscopy.
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In an attempt to restore the image (not very glamorous it is true) of colonoscopy, the doctors explain that in 2011 and 2012, colonoscopy made it possible to diagnose 35,000 cancers and especially to avoid a certain number of them by the ablation polyps or very small tumors discovered at a pre-cancerous stage. “Furthering our survey of gastroenterologists, we found that the rate of colorectal cancer was reduced by 300% in people who have had a previous colonoscopy, confirming a direct impact of colonoscopy on the risk of colon cancer ”insists Sfed.
Next Tuesday March 26, more than 300 gastroenterologists will participate in Colon Cancer Prevention Day. They will answer your questions and advise you on the most suitable screening method for you. You will find the names and addresses of these gastroenterologists here.
