Should I get screened?

[Purple_Popple]

A first degree relative of mine died of 'carcinoma sigmoid colon' aged 55. My doc does not think it necessary to screen me having told him my concerns, but is there anything I can do to get screened ?

[beso]

At 55 they should be prescribing you a colonoscopy anyway regardless of the family history.

[Purple_Popple]

Sorry Im not aged 55, my father was who died from colon cancer. Im 40.

[Sqad]

I agree with your doctor and if it were me, I would not want screening.

You must make up your own mind and i would have thought that a private hospital would be only too happy check your faeces and arrange a colonoscopy.

[ethandron]

i believe that in england the age for screening is 60-69.
my dad died of liver cancer related to bowel cancer. i had a chat with my gp and she said that screening for me was not needed as my dad was the only person in the family to have had this cancer, and therefore i was at no more risk of getting bowel cancer than anyone else in the country.
a good friend of mine died earlier this year of bowel cancer at 65. he had also lost two siblings to this disease. his family is treated very differently as this is considered to be an inherited disposition to it.
i would listen to your doctor.

[boxtops]

If the doc doesn't think you need it, then you may be low risk - but you can always go for a private screen if you really want to, and pay for it.

Just be aware of the symptoms and if any do appear, get round to the doc's. You'll be sent a poo pack anyway when you get to 60, but that's a long way off!

[RATTER15]

Sqad, why would you not want screening? just curious!

[Purple_Popple]

Thanks for your replies, I was just curious. Is a colonoscopy painful then Sqad is that why you say I should not want one ?

[beso]

Colonoscopy is not the slightest bit painful. You just go to the toilet a lot the night before. I had one at 47. It is supposed to be a twilight anaesethic but I had an excellent sleep for a little while.

60 to 69 is too old for first screening. Should be done from 50. I have private health insurance and I get what I want. Easy for a doc to say one is in a low risk group but that is cold comfort if you get it anyway.

If you get past 60 with no problems it is unlikely to ever be a problem. However at 40 I think the fecal test would be enough.

[Sqad]

Purple_Popple/RATTER.

This is just a personal thing and if offered a faecal test, then i probably would accept. However, if the faecal test showed no signs of blood then i certainly would not proceed to Colonoscopy. Also, as far as i know, there is no hereditary or genetic suggestion of predisposition to bowel cancer.

No a Colonosccopy is not particularly painful (said by someone who has never had one ;-) but it is the general "faff" of bowel evacuation procedure that would put me off.

This is just a personal opinion.

[RATTER15]

Purple-Popple, I had a Colonoscopy just a few weeks back, absolutely no discomfort of any kind, the worse part is drinking the concoction to empty your bowels, that is grim!!

[beso]

BTW Fecal screening is done at 45-50 in Australia. The Brit health system definately is wrong on this one leaving it to 60.

[boxtops]

Beso, it's only this year that it's been brought in for everyone over 60 - beforehand there was no blanket screening programme at all.

[beso]

I would be organising a private fecal screening from 45 if I lived in Britain.

[slaney]

If your first degree relative was under 45, or if you had two first degree relatives of any age, you would have been referred as there sometime is a family connection- see these guidelines - scroll down to end of page,

http://www.patient.co...Colorectal-Cancer.htm

As others have said, you could ask your GP to refer you privately if you are worried.

[coccinelle]

My husband died of bowel cancer last year at age of 53. The surgeon on operating said the tumour had been there for about 10 years and yet he had no symptoms before the last year. In France the doctors say intestinal cancers are genetical so anybody with this problem in the family are followed up. Faeces checks are normally done here at 50 (my husband seemed to slip through this check-up for some reason). I would certainly get it checked up on, it's so much easier to remove a polup (spelling?) than risk cancer.