If you might be between 45 and 85 years old, it’s best to have a colon cancer screening routine American Cancer Society (ACS). But a Colonoscopy– where your doctor uses a special camera to look inside your colon and rectum and search for abnormal growths polyps– shouldn’t be the one approach to take control of your gastrointestinal health.
You can select from non-invasive screening methods: Computed tomography (CT), colonography and/or a stool test. Billionaire, entrepreneur and Shark tank Investor Mark Cuban tells Assets He enjoys the relatively low price and ease of the previous, also called virtual colonoscopy. In short, it’s an X-ray examination that doesn’t require sedation or anesthesia.
“I like getting CT versions because while they’re not cheap, the cash price is far cheaper than the cash price of a traditional colonoscopy,” Cuban says via email, “so I can get one every few years and all seven the traditional ones. ”
Cuban says the money price for his last virtual colonoscopy was under $600. The cost of the procedure may vary depending in your location. For example, within the 10038 zip code of New York City, where Assets A virtual colonoscopy with contrast costs between $496 and $2,613, with a good price of $778 Health Bluebook. A standard colonoscopy costs between $997 and $10,541, with the fair price being $2,712.
Because that US Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) recommends colon cancer screening from the age of 45 for individuals with a median risk of developing this disease. Federal law requires Medicare and personal health insurers to do that cover the prices. This means patients don’t must worry about copays or deductibles. However, the ACS notes that the definition of a “screening” versus a “diagnostic” test can vary by insurer, and never all plans cover all types of colorectal cancer screening.
In addition, people at high risk of developing colorectal cancer might have earlier and more frequent screenings. Talk to your doctor about which test is true for you and discuss find out how to cover it along with your insurer.
Arthur Winera gastrointestinal medical oncologist at Inova Schar Cancer Institute in Fairfax, Virginia, and Dr. Derek Ebnera gastroenterology and hepatology neoplasia fellow at Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota, discuss your options for non-invasive colorectal cancer screenings below.
What is a virtual colonoscopy?
While traditional colonoscopy involves passing a camera, called a colonoscope, through your colon and rectum, the virtual option involves X-rays and a pc that creates 3D images of those organs. However, neither test might be performed if stool is in the best way.
“The initial preparation is the same,” says Winer Assets. “You still need to cleanse the colon so you don’t have to skip taking laxatives and going to the bathroom.”
You may also have to drink a contrast agent the evening before the procedure. Still, a virtual colonoscopy only takes 10 to quarter-hour – the standard method takes lower than an hour – and since you are not sedated or anesthetized, you may drive yourself home or back to work and get back to your normal activities immediately.
While CT colonography itself is noninvasive, your radiologist typically inserts a catheter into your rectum to inflate your colon with air or carbon dioxide.
“The colon – just like any cavity – if there is nothing in it, it will collapse,” says Ebner Assets. “The radiologists have to use this air, this gas, to open the colon and then use the CT images to see if there are any polyps or abnormalities along the inner wall of the colon.”
Traditional colonoscopy is secure, and the danger of the colonoscope poking a hole in your organs or causing an infection is low, Winer says. Virtual colonoscopy further reduces this risk. The virtual option is included a low radiation dose just like other medical imaging techniques.
CT colonography could also be appropriate for people who find themselves averse to invasive colonoscopy or have problems with anesthetics. The procedure “has reasonable accuracy for detecting colorectal cancer and Adenomas (non-cancerous tumors),” says the USPSTF, and needs to be done more continuously: every five years as an alternative of 10 years. Traditional colonoscopy stays the more comprehensive approach; CT colonography cannot remove polyps Those smaller than 10 millimeters could also be missing.
“The advantage of a (traditional) colonoscopy is that it can both diagnose and potentially treat the problem at the same time,” says Winer, referring to the removal of polyps. “[Doctors] Thread a lasso around her and catch her. And when they find a tumor, they biopsy it and mark it with some ink to show other doctors where it is in the colon.”
Occasionally, a standard colonoscopy cannot reach the start of the colon, says Ebner. In this case, your doctor may provide you with a virtual colonoscopy to finish the screening.
Medicare doesn’t cover CT colonography.
Barbara Haddock Taylor/Baltimore Sun/Tribune News Service via Getty Images
What is stool-based colon cancer screening?
For some people, a stool test could also be more convenient.
“The feces-based tests either look at your feces for blood, or there are some DNA tests that the specialty labs do to look for changes in the DNA of the cells that are in your feces,” Winer says Assets. “As feces travel through your colon, it can pick up cells from these precancerous or cancerous areas.”
The ACS recommends these options:
- Stool immunochemical test (FIT): This style of test is offered over-the-counter and appears for blood which may be hidden within the stool in your lower intestine.
- Guaiac-based fecal occult blood test (gFOBT): Your doctor may give you a kit that uses a chemical response to search for hidden blood in your stool. This test restricts your weight loss program somewhat; For example, it is suggested to avoid beef for at the least three days before the test.
- Multi-targeted stool DNA test with fecal immunochemical test (MT-sDNA, sDNA-FIT or FIT-DNA): Cologuardthe one test of its kind available within the United States, requires a prescription.
A drawback of stool-based tests, in accordance with Ebner, is that they must be done continuously: FIT and gFOBT annually and Cologuard every three years. If these tests show abnormal results, a diagnostic colonoscopy is vital. Stool tests, however, don’t require bowel preparation.
Which colon cancer test is the most effective?
“The best test is the one that is done,” says Ebner Assets. “What’s really scary is that something like this exists a few third of the individuals who’re eligible for colon cancer screening [and] has not yet been screened.
“One of the benefits of having a lot of different options is that the person then has the opportunity to say, ‘Hey, you know, this is what works best for me,’ especially after we lower the age to 45.”
Winer reiterates: “My view as an oncologist is that anything is better than nothing – any of these tests. The worst thing anyone can do, in my opinion, is to do none of these things and just hope they don’t get colon cancer.”
Further details about colon cancer prevention:
Subscribe to Well Adjusted, our newsletter full of straightforward strategies to work smarter and live higher, from the Fortune Well team. Log in free today.
