BARNESVILLE — Colon cancer has the fourth highest incidence and is the second highest cancer for mortality in the United States.

Sunita Jayakumar, M.D., internal medicine specialist at WVU Medicine Barnesville Family Medicine, shared the following information on colon cancer:

“Early on in my career, a beloved colleague lost his battle with colon cancer at 56 years old. He did not undergo the recommended screening, which could’ve saved his life.

“By the time the colon cancer was diagnosed, it had already spread to other regions in his body. He had no known family history of any cancer.

“Since then, I have tried to prevent any of my patients from going through this by encouraging them to undergo screening colonoscopies.”

Colon cancer is 100 percent curable if detected early. It has been proven beneficial to identify and remove precancerous lesions or localized cancer to reduce mortality and morbidity.

It is recommended that screenings for colorectal cancer in asymptomatic, average-risk adults begin at age 45 and end at around age 76, if no abnormalities were discovered and there were no symptoms.

Commonly used screening tests include:

∫ Colonoscopy

∫ Flexible sigmoidoscopy

∫ Cologuard

∫ Fecal immunochemical tests (FIT)

∫ Guaiac fecal occult blood tests (gFOBT)

The gold standard test is colonoscopy, and testing is most often ordered by the primary care provider.

The prep is done orally with recommended medication the day before the scheduled test. Prior to the test, the patient is given I.V. anesthesia, and the whole colonoscopy takes only about 15-20 minutes.

“I feel it is one of the best tests in medicine, as it is both diagnostic and therapeutic.

During the test, polyps can be removed painlessly and sent for analysis,” Jayakumar said. “The polyps may be pre-cancerous, so removal helps eliminate the risk. It takes up to five years for polyps to regrow.

“If there are no polyps or other abnormalities, then testing does not need to be repeated for 10 years.

“Cologuard testing, FIT, and gFOBT are tests that can also be ordered. I prefer to order these options to screen in between colonoscopy testing.”

It is recommended to discuss all your options with a primary care provider so that the most appropriate screening test and referral can be ordered.

Recommended lifestyle and risk factor modifications, such as increased daily water and dietary fiber intake and tobacco and alcohol cessation can also be discussed.

“Prevention in medicine is a key component that will help to ensure good health and quality of life,” the doctor added.