Get News & Updates Directly To Your Inbox
Delicious recipes, helpful cooking and nutrition tips. Find food preparation videos and "ask the dietitian!"
Find A Doctor Or Hospital In Your Network.
Screenings can catch it early when it’s treatable.
The growing number of people getting preventive screenings has brought the colorectal cancer death rates down, showing that screening really does work.
Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Illinois (BCBSIL) recommends that everyone 50 to 75 years old get a screening. If you have a family history of the disease or have other conditions that could lead to colorectal cancer, your doctor may want you to get screened earlier.
Colon cancer usually begins with a growth called a polyp that develops in the inner lining of the colon. These polyps grow slowly over a period of many years. When polyps first start to develop, they are not cancer yet, but they have the potential to become cancer. The risk that a polyp will become cancerous increases as it gets larger.
Polyps can be removed easily before they have a chance to become cancer. Once a polyp does become cancer, it gets more difficult to treat.
Precancerous polyps and early colon cancer may not show symptoms. A screening test is the best way to prevent colon cancer or catch it early for a better chance at successful treatment.
Since early colon cancer may not have any symptoms, screening is critical. By the time you develop symptoms, it may have grown and spread, making it harder to treat.
But there are some warning signs you can watch for, including:
Colonoscopy is the most common preventive screening tool. A doctor uses a colonoscope — a flexible, lighted tube with an attached camera — to look at the entire rectum and colon for signs of cancer. The doctor can even remove precancerous polyps during the procedure, preventing you from getting cancer.
Some people may avoid a colonoscopy because it sounds painful. But the test is quick and painless. You are asleep during the procedure, and it takes less than an hour.
Other screening options are available, based on your doctor’s recommendation:
Early detection by screening is key. Catching it early gives you a better chance at successful treatment. And colorectal screening is one of the preventive services available to you at no cost.* Talk to your doctor about what screening options are best for you.
These healthy lifestyle tips may help to protect you from colon cancer:
Learn more about colon health and colon cancer prevention and screening in the Caring for Your Colon section.
Originally published February 12, 2020; Revised
This is a lie. I was going to get a screening, but the hospital asked for a prepayment of $1500. When I asked BCBS about it they said that if it is billed a certain way that it's not covered. When I asked my doctor's office about it they said that anytime they remove one of the polyps described in this article they are required to send them to the lab for testing. This causes it to be billed as something other than just a screening according to BCBS's billing rules. NOT GOOD. I can't afford $1500, so I'm not getting the recommended screening. BCBS needs to change this. Removing these polyps as well as skin tags and other non cancerous things is a standard part of the screening.