Colon Cancer Prevention

Colon cancer prevention is real! While some forms of cancer seem to strike randomly without warning or risk factors that could be avoidable, there are some things that can be done to help decrease the risk of colon cancer taking control of your life. Now, no preventative measure is 100% effective, so you cannot be completely sure you will not develop this type of cancer. But there are some real steps that can be taken to decrease your risk.

Colon cancer prevention can include both taking steps to reduce your risk factors as well as colon cancer screening to help detect precursors to colon cancer which can be easily treated.

Modifiable Risk Factors: Risk factors are things about you and your life which statistically increase your risk for developing a certain condition. Some risk factors are non-modifiable. For example, age, gender and family history cannot be changed. However, other risk factors are modifiable, meaning you can make the decision to change them in a way that reduces your risk of developing that cancer. For example, smoking is a strong risk factor for many types of cancers (and other diseases) and may be partially implicated in colon cancer as well. Avoiding smoking or quiting can help decrease your risk.

Colon cancer has also been associated with certain dietary factors. In particular, poor diets that are high in fat and lacking in vegetables and fiber may increase your risk for colon cancer. Therefore, making the decision to improve diet and eat more vegetables and fiber can reduce your risk.

Colon Cancer Screening: One of the most important factors leading to colon cancer is the presence of colon polyps. It is believed that most colon cancers first start as colon polyps which then went on to become cancer. Therefore, if these benign masses can be detected and removed, you can theoretically prevent colon cancer. This is the exact goal of colon cancer screening such as colonoscopy. As people get older, it is recommended that they get regular colonoscopy. This exam can detect most polyps as well as early cancers. The polyps can be removed at the time of the procedure, preventing that tissue from further developing into cancer in the future. If early cancer is detected, it can often be treated much more effectively at this early stage than if it is caught later after it has become larger, more invasive or spread to distant tissues.