Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
One more time about the lack of wisdom behind Cologard or stool guaic screening-
The Cologuard test is a slight imporvement on stool guaiac because it detects not only blood but also genetic variants associatd with ca, BUT--
Almost all colon ca starts out as a benign polyp...About 10% of benign polyps turn cancerous within 10 yrs. Then add in the 10%+ rate of false negatives-- and a negative Cologuard may lead you to avoid a colonoscopy, so your benign polyp will be missed and it has a 10% chance of turning cancerous in the next few years.
If you just go ahead and do the screening colonoscopy, you'll find the benign polyp. It will be easily removed at that time and you have avoided a disaster....Once polyps are found, you repeat the colonoscopy on a more frequent schedule.
In my practice, I only used the stool screening tests as a way to possibly scare (if it turned out postive) the reluctant pt into the colonscopy.
Colonoscopies are expensive and carry risk for the patient.
The American Cancer Society does not recommend people over 45 get a colonoscopy, if they are average risk. The ACS recommends that adults aged 45 years and older with an average risk of CRC undergo regular screening with either a high-sensitivity stool-based test (COLOGUARD) or a structural (visual) examination, depending on patient preference and test availability.
The CRC then recommends a colonoscopy for all positive results from the above-referenced screening tests.
It also recommends the same above screening process for people over 50 who are in good health & of average risk for CRC, IF they have 10 more years life expectancy.
I am in my 60s and low risk for colon cancer. That is, I have none of the risk factors. So I've never had a colonoscopy, opting instead recently for the Cologuard stool screening. The results were negative.
I've been constantly pushed by doctors for the last 20 years to get a colonoscopy, for no reason other than I qualified because of my age. There was no talk of any risk I might have, or not have, for colon cancer, or the risks of the colonoscopy. I believe I was pushed so hard on that because it's big bucks. I'm glad I resisted all these years. If in the future something indicates I need one, then I'll get one. As it stands now, I'll probably just continue getting Cologuards, as long as the ACS recommends.
There is that possible downside of the "diagnostic" colonoscopy not being 100% covered by Medicare (and so, my Medigap supplemental plan), but I can't help that. Hopefully it'll be mostly covered.
^^^ You're playng the odds. You are not free of risk, just free of high risk factors. Big diffeence....Your stool test was negative. That's means either you or one of your nine identical twins with negative tests is realy a positive.
Screening tests are those that are cheap, easy and have a reasonabley high success rate at finding problems that are common.....
Colon cancer is fairly common.The risk of a colonscopy is less than the risk of riding in a car. The problem with a colonoscopy is that it's not cheap....Colonoscopy finds virtually all colon ca (It's the Gold Standard of diagnosis.) but more importantly-- it finds all those benign polyps before they have a chance to turn cancerous. Colonoscopy can be both curative and preventative
Stool tests for colon ca make no sense-- you can't trust a negative and a postive requires a follow-up colonoscopy anyway.
You have to answer Dirty Harry's famous question to the perp who thought the gun might not be loaded-- "Do you feel lucky?"
Colonoscopies are expensive and carry risk for the patient.
The American Cancer Society does not recommend people over 45 get a colonoscopy, if they are average risk. The ACS recommends that adults aged 45 years and older with an average risk of CRC undergo regular screening with either a high-sensitivity stool-based test (COLOGUARD) or a structural (visual) examination, depending on patient preference and test availability.
The CRC then recommends a colonoscopy for all positive results from the above-referenced screening tests.
It also recommends the same above screening process for people over 50 who are in good health & of average risk for CRC, IF they have 10 more years life expectancy.
I am in my 60s and low risk for colon cancer. That is, I have none of the risk factors. So I've never had a colonoscopy, opting instead recently for the Cologuard stool screening. The results were negative.
I've been constantly pushed by doctors for the last 20 years to get a colonoscopy, for no reason other than I qualified because of my age. There was no talk of any risk I might have, or not have, for colon cancer, or the risks of the colonoscopy. I believe I was pushed so hard on that because it's big bucks. I'm glad I resisted all these years. If in the future something indicates I need one, then I'll get one. As it stands now, I'll probably just continue getting Cologuards, as long as the ACS recommends.
There is that possible downside of the "diagnostic" colonoscopy not being 100% covered by Medicare (and so, my Medigap supplemental plan), but I can't help that. Hopefully it'll be mostly covered.
At least you'd hopefully get the colonoscopy if your Cologuard, or occult blood test came out positive. Many times a followup
colonoscopy will show nothing abnormal, or it may show a smoldering cancer in your colon, like it did for me earlier this year.
I was also at low risk for colon cancer, with no family history, none of the other risk factors, and I had a colonoscopy 4 years ago that was completely normal. No one expected this cancer,not me, my doctors or my family.
At least you'd hopefully get the colonoscopy if your Cologuard, or occult blood test came out positive. Many times a followup
colonoscopy will show nothing abnormal, or it may show a smoldering cancer in your colon, like it did for me earlier this year.
I was also at low risk for colon cancer, with no family history, none of the other risk factors, and I had a colonoscopy 4 years ago that was completely normal. No one expected this cancer,not me, my doctors or my family.
May I ask what procedure you had done after the cancer was detected? You needn't answer if you feel it is too personal to discuss. Thank you.
I asked a question on the forum. It was directed at someone who had the experience I described.
"ramping myself up" .........OK. I was able to find the answer elsewhere. But the post was asking specifically for what others' experience had been. Out of all the forums I have ever spent time on - from all over the internet, this health and wellness CD forum really is the worst. It is a shame, because reading through some of the more interesting posts, they are often hijacked by irrelevant, unhelpful, snarky responses or by endless questions that have nothing to do with the OP's question or observation. No wonder the country is in the state it is in. It is sad.
People try to give you a helpful answer and you go off on them. What a way to kick people in the teeth.
My wife had a positive cologuard result, so decided to get a colonoscopy. Our insurance paid for it.
My test was negative, I did not get a colonoscopy.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
