Collin County Living Well Magazine May/June 2017 | Page 53

Don’t Let Embarrassment Hold You Back. A
Colon Cancer Screening Could Save Your Life.
Courtesy of Healthcare Associates of Texas
D
id you know that the most common symptom
of colon and rectal cancer is no symptom at
all? Colon and rectal cancers almost always
develop from polyps in the colon or rectum
that are precancerous and have no symptoms.
Screening tests, such as colonoscopy and virtual
colonoscopy, find these polyps and colorectal cancers
early when they are more easily treated. Here’s the deal
with colon and rectal cancers: Caught early, they are
very treatable and survival rates are very high. But, late
stage colon and rectal cancers are difficult to treat and
survival rates are low. There are more deaths annually
from colon and rectal cancers than from breast cancer
and AIDS combined.
No one should die from colorectal cancer. Avoiding
late stage colorectal cancer is easy.
Simply follow the recommended screening schedule.
According to the American Cancer Society, starting at
age 50, men and women at average risk for developing
colon or rectal cancer should use a screening test at a
regular interval. African American men should start this
at age 45 based on studies over the last several years.
The screening options include virtual colonoscopy
every five years. For people at an increased or high risk
of colon or rectal cancer, doctors recommend starting
screening before age 50 and/or more often. And, the
type of test they recommend depends on the specific
risks.
Expense, time off from work, and needing a driver
depends on the screening test you select. Virtual
colonoscopy is typically 100% covered by insurance,
requires about 45 minutes, and you don’t need a driver.
Traditional colonoscopy requires sedation so you will
need a driver to and from the test and likely need to
take off the remainder of the day from work. You’ll
usually be at the hospital/surgery center for at least 2
to 4 hours. If a polyp is found and removed, it is billed
as a diagnostic colonoscopy and not as a screening
colonoscopy. Typically, diagnostic colonoscopies go
towards co-pay, co-insurance, and/or deductibles.
Virtual colonoscopy requires no sedation, allowing
you to drive to and from the procedure and have no-
downtime rec overing from sedation. Total procedure
time is about 45 minutes and you can resume activities
immediately. Because the virtual colonoscopy is
screening by nature, it will always be billed as a
screening colonoscopy and will likely be 100% covered
by commercial insurance under a wellness benefit.
So, if screening is the key, why doesn’t everyone
get screened? Patients put off this very important
screening for many reasons: embarrassment, expense,
time off from work, and needing a driver.
Let’s talk embarrassment. The professionals who
perform the colonoscopies and virtual colonoscopies,
are just that, professionals. Your privacy will be of the
utmost importance and they will use draping to keep
you covered up.
Healthcare Associates of Texas provides its patients with a total continuum of care by offering comprehensive family medicine
and ancillaries under one roof. For more information, you can visit their website at www.healthcareassociates.com.
[phone]