This is a printer-friendly version of an article from Zip06.com.
03/03/2021 11:01 PMThe COVID-19 pandemic has had repercussions that have affected us all. With more than 20 million infections and 400,000 deaths in the United States, we all have been touched. Every facet of American life has changed from shopping, working, recreation, and schooling. Life as we know it is different. It, then, is no surprise that the delivery of healthcare to Americans during this pandemic has profoundly changed with effects which will likely endure long after the pandemic is over.
Unfortunately, colon cancer did not take a respite during the pandemic. Yet, due to the pandemic, most medical offices and ambulatory surgical centers were closed between March and June 2020 while we figured out how to safely reopen protecting patients, doctors, and their staffs. During that time, common cancer screening tests were performed much less often. We feared delayed diagnoses of colon cancer. Fortunately, by the end of June 2020, we had figured out how to deliver safe healthcare to our patients while protecting them, medical staff, and doctors. These protections have included telehealth visits for patients, PPE, masks, and most important COVID testing for all patients visiting our ambulatory endo center.
Colon cancer remains the number three cause of cancer death among Americans. In 2012, more than 550 people in Connecticut died from colon cancer with more than 2,000 cases diagnosed. In the past 20 years, we have made tremendous progress in our ability to find precancerous lesions, early cancers and treat them. The incidence of colon cancer and mortality in people over the age of 50 is falling. Gastroenterologists, their societies, and the American Cancer Society have pushed hard to get Americans screened with colonoscopies or its surrogates. Nationally, about 50 percent of the population has been screened for colon cancer, while here in Connecticut we have done better with at least 70 percent of adults screened. Screening strategies are changing for colon cancer surveillance. Formerly, recommendations for screening began at age 50 for normal risk adults or at least 10 years earlier for individuals with a strong family history of colon cancer. However, we have seen an unsettling trend over the past 20 years with a rising incidence of colon cancer in the 40 to 50 age group, such that, this group now makes up six percent of all colon cancers diagnosed. We do not know why we are seeing this trend, but hypothesis include obesity, genetics, a sedentary life style, or exposures to food pathogens or toxins. The truth is, the source of this increase remains unclear. In response to this new data, the American Cancer Society and the United States Preventive Services Task Force have now suggested we begin screening at age 45 for all Americans.
My recommendation to readers of this column is to not ignore colon cancer screening. This cancer is potentially a preventable disease if caught early. You have many screening options in 2021 including colonoscopy, flex sigmoidoscopy, FIT test of stool, and Cologuard testing. Colonoscopy remains the gold standard by which all other screening strategies are measured. In addition, don’t ignore early signs of colon cancer including rectal bleeding, persistent change in bowel habits, or unexplained abdominal pain.
Your physicians and gastroenterologists are here to serve you in a safe and protected environment in the era of Covid 19.
Myron Brand M.D. is a clinical professor of medicine at the Yale School of Medicine. He is medical director of the Yale Shoreline Endoscopy Center. He is a partner at Connecticut Gastroenterology Consultants with offices in Guilford, New Haven, and Hamden.