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Tired of the Old Colonoscopy?

~~March is Colon Cancer Prevention Month. In recognition of that I thought that I could bring you some good news about what I am sure is one of your favorite tests. So, for those of you who enjoy your colonoscopy testing please feel free to read no further. For the vast majority of you however, I am sure that you will want to continue to read further.
     First of all remember that colorectal cancer is the second leading cause of cancer death in the United States, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. One in three adults however is not adequately screened. This may be occurring for the same reason that you are continuing to read on. That's right, no one really looks forward to the test, let alone the preparation for the test.
     The answer to this dilemma is to try FIT, or Fecal Immunochemical Testing. According to Jeffrey Lee, M.D. MAS, the lead author of a new evidence review published in the Annals of Internal Medicine; "FIT is simple, can be done at home and can save lives." He goes on to state that; "The American Cancer Society and other professional organizations have recommended FIT as a screening tool for colorectal cancer since 2008, but there are still many people who don't know about it." With this test, unlike a colonoscopy, there is no need to restrict the diet or to stop taking medications. People who have a positive FIT need a follow up colonoscopy to look for cancer or polyps.
     The test detected 79% or about 4 of 5 cancers with only one round of testing and 94% of people who did not have cancer tested negative with a single FIT. The old fecal occult blood test detects only about 13 to 50% of cancers after a single round of testing.
     I hope that this information will help all of you recognize that this test can be effective, helpful and gives hope that the colonoscopy test may not be the first line of defense in the detection of colon cancer.