Have You Checked Your Colon, Yet?
I have written about colon cancer many times it the past and I probably will again in the future, but when I read this latest survey of American’s, I had to address this topic, again.
In the latest survey from the US Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, only half of all Americans 50 and older have had a colonoscopy to screen for colon cancer.
Colon cancer is the second leading cause of cancer death in the US and is a very preventable form of cancer. In fact, colonoscopies can literally mean the difference between life and death! I have personally known two people who have died as a result of failure to get screened. The advantage of a colonoscopy is that while the physician is looking inside your colon, he/she can snip off growths while in there, which can literally cut the pre-cancerous growth out before it has a chance to grow! If these growths continue, they spread, and eventually no treatment can save a life.
What the researchers discovered, though, was the low incidence of screening had more to do with lack of awareness and physician counseling rather than just poor compliance by the patient! Researchers received responses from 11,427 people.
Christina C. Wee, M.D., M.P.H., and colleagues from Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center and Harvard Medical School used data from the 2000 National Health Interview Survey (NHIS) of U.S. households to examine the prevalence of colon cancer screening nationally and the reasons for low screening rates. Among 11,427 respondents to the NHIS Cancer Control Supplement,
The survey revealed that:
• 67% of Hispanics, 55.8% of Blacks, and 47.1% of whites aged 50 and older said they had never had a colonoscopy.
• Among uninsured adults between 50 and 64, 77% had never been screened, compared to 54.1% with private insurance and 61% covered by Medicaid and other public insurance.
• Just over 50% of people 65% and older covered by Medicare and public insurance had never had a screening, compared to 45% who only have Medicare, and 34.6% who have Medicare and private insurance.
• 16% of all respondents had completed the annual fecal occult blood test (blood test to test if there is blood in the feces). 64% of all respondents who didn’t have this test, didn’t know they needed the test and 94% who had seen their physician in the last year said there were not counseled about the test. Less than 1% said discomfort was a reason for not taking it.
• 29% of all people had undergone a sigmoidoscopy in the last 5 years or a colonoscopy in the last 10 years. 72% of all respondents who were not screened didn’t know they needed it and 92% of these people had seen their physician in the last year. Only 2% said they didn’t do the screen because of discomfort or cost.
The biggest concern is that many people who should be screened are just unaware of the need! So, probably the biggest take-home message for readers is this: If you have an older family member, ask them if they have had a colon screening. If not, it’s time! Make sure they have a conversation with their physician and resolve this easy problem. This is one type of cancer where an ounce of prevention can make a HUGE pound of cure!
To read a study and report on why patients are not screened, click these links:
http://tinyurl.com/2p2zm8
http://www.ahrq.gov/research/dec05/1205RA22.htm
In the latest survey from the US Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, only half of all Americans 50 and older have had a colonoscopy to screen for colon cancer.
Colon cancer is the second leading cause of cancer death in the US and is a very preventable form of cancer. In fact, colonoscopies can literally mean the difference between life and death! I have personally known two people who have died as a result of failure to get screened. The advantage of a colonoscopy is that while the physician is looking inside your colon, he/she can snip off growths while in there, which can literally cut the pre-cancerous growth out before it has a chance to grow! If these growths continue, they spread, and eventually no treatment can save a life.
What the researchers discovered, though, was the low incidence of screening had more to do with lack of awareness and physician counseling rather than just poor compliance by the patient! Researchers received responses from 11,427 people.
Christina C. Wee, M.D., M.P.H., and colleagues from Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center and Harvard Medical School used data from the 2000 National Health Interview Survey (NHIS) of U.S. households to examine the prevalence of colon cancer screening nationally and the reasons for low screening rates. Among 11,427 respondents to the NHIS Cancer Control Supplement,
The survey revealed that:
• 67% of Hispanics, 55.8% of Blacks, and 47.1% of whites aged 50 and older said they had never had a colonoscopy.
• Among uninsured adults between 50 and 64, 77% had never been screened, compared to 54.1% with private insurance and 61% covered by Medicaid and other public insurance.
• Just over 50% of people 65% and older covered by Medicare and public insurance had never had a screening, compared to 45% who only have Medicare, and 34.6% who have Medicare and private insurance.
• 16% of all respondents had completed the annual fecal occult blood test (blood test to test if there is blood in the feces). 64% of all respondents who didn’t have this test, didn’t know they needed the test and 94% who had seen their physician in the last year said there were not counseled about the test. Less than 1% said discomfort was a reason for not taking it.
• 29% of all people had undergone a sigmoidoscopy in the last 5 years or a colonoscopy in the last 10 years. 72% of all respondents who were not screened didn’t know they needed it and 92% of these people had seen their physician in the last year. Only 2% said they didn’t do the screen because of discomfort or cost.
The biggest concern is that many people who should be screened are just unaware of the need! So, probably the biggest take-home message for readers is this: If you have an older family member, ask them if they have had a colon screening. If not, it’s time! Make sure they have a conversation with their physician and resolve this easy problem. This is one type of cancer where an ounce of prevention can make a HUGE pound of cure!
To read a study and report on why patients are not screened, click these links:
http://tinyurl.com/2p2zm8
http://www.ahrq.gov/research/dec05/1205RA22.htm
posted by Margie Geiser, MBA, RD, NSCA-CPT at
7:11 AM
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
Subscribe to Post Comments [Atom]
<< Home