An issue of Information BEFORE Consent
In my practice I frequently get asked this question: Should I get a colonoscopy?
I generally answer like this:
I have long had reservations about ‘routine’ colonoscopy screening based on age. I’ve seen complications and I’ve never been convinced the test is as beneficial for routine screening as promoted, especially in asymptomatic persons with no family history of colon cancer. Afterall, ‘finding it early’ – and then directing someone to surgery and chemotherapy - is not cancer prevention.
Of course, that was often met with skepticism from patients, and with hysteria from the mainstream medical community. Let’s explore this topic - especially since a new 10-year study, released in October 2022 in the New England Journal of Medicine and discussed in Part 2 of this four-part series, has dared bravely questioned this stalwart procedure.
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Colonoscopy is the most commonly used method to screen for colon cancer, which is said to account for around 10% of all cancers globally. It is second leading cause of cancer death in men and women [combined] in the U.S. As of 2020, approximately 69% of adults aged 50 to 75 years have had a least one colonoscopy, representing 62.3 million people. Colon cancer is usually diagnosed when a person is in their 60s and it is more common in African Americans. For more stats about colon cancer go here.
https://drtenpenny.substack.com/p/the-truth-about-colonoscopy-pt-1