Both the World Health Organization and the Ministry of Health of the Republic of Turkey in our country recommend that every individual, male or female, who reaches the age of 50 should have a colonoscopy every 5 years, even if they have no complaints and no risk factors.
Cancer. Screening is performed to detect the presence of precancerous findings or early-stage cancer in the cancer patient before cancer tissue forms, the disease spreads, and cancer-related complaints appear.
The majority of colon cancers are initially relatively benign, with no cancer cells in them. They occur when the structures we call 'polyps' become cancerous over time. Therefore, the main purpose of screening for the large intestine is to find these benign polyps that have not yet become cancerous and remove them completely by endoscopic means, thus eliminating the risk of colon cancer.
When and in what cases is colonoscopy necessary?
The follow-up of risky patients (such as those with a family history of bowel cancer, those with inflammatory bowel disease) is different and should be consulted with a physician. Planning would be appropriate.
Although it is recommended to start screening for colon cancer or precancerous colon polyps with colonoscopy at the age of 50 at the latest; Since at least one in every 10 colon cancer cases is detected before the age of 50, colonoscopy screenings are now started after the age of 40 in most centers. If colon cancer is detected at a young age in one of the first-degree relatives such as mother, father, or sibling, screening is performed with colonoscopy by going back 10 years from the age when the cancer was detected.
Persistent abdominal pain in the intestine, rectal bleeding, chronic constipation. In the presence of symptoms such as decreased stool thickness, unexplained anemia or iron deficiency, chronic diarrhea and unexplained weight loss, the patient should undergo colonoscopy without delay.
How is it applied?
For colonoscopy, the intestines must be empty, that is, cleared of feces. Different methods can be applied for this. Intestinal cleansing can be performed with medications that have started to be used in recent years, which enable the patient to consume liquid nutrition for half a day, and which can be tolerated by the patient. is. This type of medication and its dosage are adjusted by the gastroenterologist who will perform the colonoscopy, according to the patient's condition and comorbidities. Just before starting the colonoscopy, the patient is given sedation and painkillers to help him/her sleep during the procedure and calm down anything, especially pain, during the procedure. The patient does not feel anything, especially pain, during the procedure. The patient, who wakes up 5-10 minutes after the colonoscopy procedure, can immediately start eating normally and go home easily after resting for 30-45 minutes after the procedure.
Don't forget! Early diagnosis and removal of intestinal polyps during colonoscopy is the most effective way to protect against colon cancer. If you are over 50 years old or are in the risk group even if you are younger; By consulting your gastroenterologist, you can plan your colonoscopy and reset your risk of colon cancer.
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