Did you know that colon cancer is the second leading cause of cancer deaths in the United States? Did you know that it affects men and women equally? Did you know that it is preventable?

Colon Cancer Screening Age Guidelines

Early detection is the key to beating colon cancer. For this reason, Dr. Lyles encourages his patients to follow the screening guidelines established by the American College of Gastroenterology. The recommended screening guidelines are as follows:

  • For men and women without a family history of colon cancer, the recommended age to begin screening is at age 45.
  • If you have a family history of colon cancer, you may need to begin screening earlier than age 45. You are encouraged to discuss your family history with a gastroenterologist in order to see if you need to begin this cancer screening before the age of 45.
  • If you have colon cancer or colon polyps, your doctor will discuss the follow-up exam frequency
direct access colonoscopy scheduling option saves time office visit

Colon Cancer FAQs

In order to help prevent colorectal cancer in the DFW area, a focus of Dr. Lyles’ GI practice is promoting colon cancer awareness. The list of FAQs below represents important statistics and information everyone should be aware of regarding colorectal cancer.

Keep in mind… this is a preventable cancer. Please follow the screening guidelines and share this information with friends & family that are over 40 years of age. Spreading the awareness message and increasing the number of people getting screened is the best method for stopping colon cancer.

What is my lifetime risk of developing colon cancer?

The likelihood of developing colon cancer in your life is 1 in 20.

How many colon cancer cases will be diagnosed this year?

The American Cancer Society estimates that 149,500 new cases of rectal and colon cancer will be diagnosed in 2021.

How many people will die from colon cancer this year?

It is estimated that 52,980 people (in the United States) will die from colorectal cancer in 2021.

What are polyps?

Polyps are pre-cancerous growths that form in the colon. If these growths are detected and removed, they can no longer progress to colon cancer. Although detection is important, removing a polyp before it can turn into cancer is an incredibly powerful tool that only colonoscopy can provide. The process for a pre-cancerous polyp to transform into cancer typically takes 8-10 years.

How can I reduce my risk of developing colorectal cancer?

Screening is the best option to reduce your risk. Many polyps show no signs or symptoms, which is why everyone should be screened for colon cancer. By removing polyps you’ll be reducing the chance that they will develop into cancer.

What are the accepted screening tests for colon cancer screening?

There are multiple recommended screening tests, including colonoscopy, stool-based tests (fecal immunoglobin test (FIT), Cologuard, fecal occult blood test), CT colonography, and barium enema.

To help patients decide which test is best for them, Dr. Lyles has created an article analyzing the pros & cons between colonoscopy vs Cologuard. This article will help you to make an informed decision on which test is best for you or generate questions to discuss with your doctor.

What makes colonoscopy different than the other colon cancer screening tests?

Colonoscopy is the only test that can both detect and prevent colon cancer. While other screening tests can detect a problem, colonoscopy is the only test that allows for both the detection and prevention of cancer, by the removal of pre-cancerous growths (polyps) from the colon during the exam.

To learn more about this screening option, please visit our colonoscopy page. You’ll learn about how the exam is performed, preparation, risks, and associated costs.

How can patients assess a gastroenterologists’ colonoscopy expertise?

Patients should know their gastroenterologist’s colonoscopy performance numbers. The NIH and American Society of Gastrointestinal Endoscopy use the gastroenterologist’s adenoma detection rate (ADR) and withdrawal time to measure the performance quality of their colonoscopy procedures.

The recommended performance baseline is an ADR of at least 15% in women & 25% in men and withdrawal time of at least 6 minutes.*

  • In 2018-2019, Dr. Lyles had an ADR of 35% in women and 56% in men and a withdrawal time average over 10 minutes.
  • In 2015-2017, Dr. Lyles had an ADR of 29% in women and 50% in men and a withdrawal time average over 11 minutes.

*There is not a public database of colonoscopy quality indicators. When selecting a GI doctor for your colonoscopy, you’ll need to ask the doctor for his/her colonoscopy performance numbers (ADR and withdrawal time).