You’ve probably heard it said before; the only screening tool that has the power to detect and prevent colorectal cancer (CRC) is colonoscopy—not FIT tests, not CT colonoscopy, and not stool DNA tests. While other methods might seem easier or less intimidating, they simply do not deliver the benefits of colonoscopy, that is, the ability to find and remove polyps.

This week, the Colon Cancer Coalition hosted a Twitter chat on an important topic—colorectal cancer.

Colorectal cancer (CRC) is the second leading cause of death from cancers that affect both men and women, but if everyone 50 and older got regular screenings, six out of ten CRC-related deaths could be prevented.

March is Colorectal Cancer Awareness Month, the goal of which is to increase awareness about the disease and raise funds for research. This month--and throughout the year---you can take action to educate friends and family about CRC and how to get screened; reduce your own odds of getting CRC; raise research dollars;  or volunteer. Here's how to get started.

According to the American College of Gastroenterologists (ACG), adenoma detection rate (ADR) is “the measurement that best reflects how carefully colonoscopy is performed.“ Defined as the percentage of patients age 50 and older undergoing screening colonoscopy who have one or more precancerous polyps detected, ADR is calculated by dividing the number of procedures in which one or more adenomas is detected by the total number of procedures. An endoscopist’s  ADR should be at least 25% for men and 15% for women.

The human gut microbiome comprises all of the bacteria in in the human intestine, which amounts to over 100 billion bacteria. This outnumbers the cells in our bodies 10 to 1. Although probiotic products touting gut health are currently flooding the marketplace (ranging from dietary supplements to cake mixes), there is no consensus on what a healthy human microbiome looks like, and none of these products have been approved by the FDA to treat or prevent specific diseases. While most agree that it is essential to human health, facts about the microbiome and how it functions in the body are still under investigation.

Beginning in 2004, the U.S. Surgeon General designated Thanksgiving National Family Health History Day. What does that mean for you? It’s pretty simple; as you gather with your relatives for the holiday, whether in person or virtually, take time talk about and document health problems that run in your family. (Note that although this blog post focuses on gathering information related to colorectal cancer [CRC], the guidelines apply to any health condition, from diabetes to breast cancer.)

Why would you have a sedation-free colonoscopy, when the norm is sleeping through the procedure and having no recollection of it?

Observational studies indicate that colonoscopy lowers colorectal cancer (CRC) rates and mortality in the general population. In support of these findings, a large-case control study showed that the procedure can significantly reduce the incidence of CRC and CRC-related mortality. However, colonoscopy may not be optimally effective for right-sided lesions. This might be due, in large part, to sessile serrated adenomas (SSAs).

If Colonoscopy Is the Gold Standard, Why Is Compliance So Low?

In 2018, 50,630 people in the United States will die of colorectal cancer, according to the American Cancer Society. It is the third leading cause of cancer-related deaths in men and women in this country.