Colon cancer is one of the leading causes of death in the United States. It is a type of cancer that attacks a person's large intestines. While the exact cause of colon cancer is unknown, it has numerous risk factors, such as family history, lifestyle, diabetes, smoking, and obesity. A colonoscopy is a viable treatment for colon cancer. Colonoscopies are the standard colon cancer screening methods used to detect and remove precancerous polyps before they develop and cause colon cancer. Polyps and other early cancer-causing tumors are usually asymptomatic. Thus, most people do not receive any symptoms, and they receive medical care when it is late. People should go for colon cancer screening because it allows doctors to detect the disease early. The screening also enables doctors to detect the RAS gene, which helps doctors select an effective colon cancer treatment. Below are a few advantages of colon cancer screening.

Early Detection of the Disease

Colon cancer is manageable if detected early. Thus, colon cancer screening is vital because it ensures early detection of the disease. Doctors usually hope to detect colon cancer early and remove the cancerous tumors and polyps before it spreads outside the colon. The cancer is unmanageable if it has spread outside the colon. Removing the polyps before colon cancer develops enables patients to undergo chemotherapy, fostering their recovery. People should go for colon cancer screening because it is the only reliable way of preventing colon cancer.

It Offers Non-Invasive Screening

Doctors can detect colon cancer using invasive and non-invasive procedures. Non-invasive colon cancer screening involves testing a patient's stool for traces of blood. The presence of blood in the stool is a significant indicator of colon cancer. If testing a patient's stool is not enough, doctors can perform a sigmoidoscopy, a minimally invasive procedure that examines the last portion of the colon. Thus, patients avoiding invasive procedures can use non-invasive colon cancer screening methods.

Reduces the Medical Expenses

Treating and managing cancer is difficult and expensive. In contrast, colon cancer screening is affordable and helps people detect colon cancer early to prevent it from spreading. Catching colon cancer early and preventing it is essential because it helps people avoid incurring large medical bills from treating and managing the advanced stages of this cancer. Thus, people should undergo colon cancer screening to know their status and detect colon cancer before it advances and causes significant health problems. It becomes expensive to treat colon cancer once it has progressed. For more information about colon cancer screening, contact a medical facility.