Nov. 1, 2006 - Men appear to benefit more than women from early colonoscopy screening for colorectal cancer, according to the largest study of the screening method ever conducted.
Current guidelines call for average-risk men and women to begin colorectal cancer screening at age 50. Colonoscopy, in which a doctor uses a long, flexible tube to check inside the large intestine, is one method for such screening.
But the new findings, published in Thursday's New England Journal of Medicine, suggest there is a big difference in risk between the sexes at the recommended age. When researchers in Poland reviewed the results of more than 50,000 colonoscopy screenings conducted in people between the ages of 40 and 66, they found that men had more cancers or large precancerous polyps at earlier ages than women.
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Colorectal cancer is the second leading cause of cancer deaths in the United States. The lifetime risk for developing the disease is similar for men and women, but women tend to be slightly older when diagnosed, Durado Brooks, MD, tells WebMD.
Brooks, the American Cancer Society's director of prostate and colorectal cancer, says he is concerned that the new findings will be misinterpreted. "Any explanation of these findings that suggests colorectal cancer is predominantly a man's disease would be a disservice to the public," he says. "That is just not the case."
http://www.webmd.com/content/article/129/117367?printing=trueI have a history of the disease in my family, so every five years I have a colonoscopy. It can be a curable cancer when caught early, however, many people, either due to cost, perceived embarrassment(which is not the case) or time constraints don't get screened. The result of which can be deadly. Furthermore, as this article points out, colorectal cancer affects both men and women....however with women, it normally occurs at a later age.
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