An SIU surgeon says regular screenings and the right test can help prevent colon cancer.

A recent study reported in the Journal of the American Medical Association suggests that colon cancer tumors can be detected earlier if people get colorectal screening every three years instead of the recommended five year screening. Dr. Jan Rakinic, associate professor of surgery at SIU School of Medicine in Springfield, says that study was done using the flexibile sigmoidiscopy (sig-moid-os-kah-pee), which is the shorter scope as the basis for the screening. Rakinic explains why she believes the sigmoidoscopy is not adequate for screening of the colon and says individuals should get a colonoscopy (colon-os-kah-pee).

SOUND BITE: "My concerns are ah the possibility that the sigmoidoscopy may have been incomplete. And perhaps a lesion that was picked up on the second exam was actually there on the first exam, but not seen by the examiner. Certainly there are people who probably harbored polyps higher up on the colon that were not essayed by the sigmoidoscopy that would have been seen by colonoscopy . . ."

Colon polys usually have no symptoms and colon cancer does not have definite symptoms until very late in the course of the disease. Rakinic says 75 percent of the colorectal cancers are found in people who are not at increased risk and have no family history of the disease.

SOUND BITE: ". . . we recommend that a person undergoes a screening exam of the colon which is colonoscopy or barium enema at age 50. Again, if they have no symptoms, no family history that places them at increased risk, and no personal history that places them in increased risk, they would not need to undergo repeat colonoscopy for five to ten years if no polyps or other lesions were found . . ."

Colorectal cancer is curable if detected early. Rakinic says colonoscopy is a much easier process than people think it is. She recommends that everyone age 50 and over contact their primary care physician to schedule the procedure.