As #ColonCancerAwarenessMonth comes to a close, we’d like to take this opportunity to remind the SurvivorNet family just how important colon cancer screening is. We asked Dr. Heather Yeo, a colorectal surgeon and Weill-Cornell Medical Center, to dispel some common myths about colon cancer and screening. Here’s a round-up of what she had to say.
Myth #1: At-home tests are just as effective as colonoscopies at detecting cancer.
Read More The verdict: Partly true — these at-home tests may be able to pick up advanced cancers, but
colonoscopies can pick up pre-cancers … meaning cancer can be detected and removed before it even develops. “We really need colonoscopy to pick up the pre-cursor to cancer, which are polyps.,” Dr. Yeo says. “By taking the polyps out, you can actually prevent cancers.”
Myth #2: Only people with symptoms need to screen. The verdict: Absolutely false. “The guidelines have recently changed because colon cancer has increased in people under the age of 50 … The American Cancer Society has recently recommended that we start screening at the age of 45,” Dr. Yeo says. And that means everybody.
Myth #3: Colonoscopies are difficult and have side effects
The verdict: False. “Most of the time you come into the hospital, you’re there for about 1 to 2 hours,” Dr. Yeo says. “You get a little bit of sedation … and you wake up. You may be a little gas-ey after that … but in general people feel pretty good and can go right back to eating.”
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Dr. Heather Yeo is a medical advisor to SurvivorNet. She is board-certified in general surgery, colon and rectal surgery, and complex general surgical oncology. She is an assistant professor of Surgery and Healthcare Policy and Research at Weill Cornell Medical College and assistant attending surgeon at NewYork-Presbyterian/Weill Cornell Medical Center. Read More
