Catching Colon Cancer Quickly

All the suggestions for early detection of colon cancer, ranging from fecal blood testing to virtual colonoscopy, are useless if there’s no follow-up of positive findings. It’s alarming to read, therefore, that in the Veterans Affairs program, almost 40% of those who had a positive fecal blood test result did not receive appropriate follow-up tests within the next 6 months. In those that did get followed-up, 85% had a colonoscopy, some had a barium enema, and the rest had both procedures.

Women, black people, lower income groups, and those who rarely visited their family doctor were less likely to have a fecal blood test in the first place. However, the failure to get adequate follow-up was not increased in any particular group of people.

This is clearly a defect in the system that needs taking care of. Individual patients should make sure that, if they have a positive fecal blood result, they receive further testing procedures. Don’t let it be swept under the rug – colon cancer kills unless it’s caught in time!