Colon cancer is one of the fastest growing diseases in the United States today, and sometimes it seems like scientists and researchers can barely keep up with how fast colon cancer is mutating and growing. New types of colon cancer pop up every now and again, and there are a large number of different clinical tests and studies constantly going on to try and get us ahead in the battle against colon cancer. Some discoveries aren’t too encouraging, but there are many other findings that are slowly but surely leading us towards a cure for the deadly disease of cancer.
One of these small breakthroughs is something that will not only make it easier to fight and prevent colorectal cancer, but it will also make the lives of cancer patients a little easier. This new discovery will also put many people who are at risk of colon cancer at ease, because it may mean fewer colonoscopies! These uncomfortable procedures are situations that no one looks forward to. Colonoscopies have been improved somewhat in the last year or so, but they are still painful and awkward procedures, and hopefully the day will come when we can discover a newer, more comfortable colon cancer detecting procedure! Until then however, we will have to settle for a new blood test that scientists at Tel Aviv University have recently discovered.
People who have this blood test will still have to have regular colonoscopies, but taking the test may result in fewer colonoscopies. This new blood test can detect colon cancer polyp cells, which are precursors to colon cancer in the blood. This blood test will also help those who are not at risk for colon cancer to get checked out. Not many people will volunteer themselves for a colonoscopy, even though the procedure may save their life, but most people would gladly do a blood test to check for colon cancer. If the test reveals that everything is fine and you have no polyp cells in your colon, then you don’t have to worry about getting a painful colonoscopy. However, if the blood test shows that there are polyps, then a colonoscopy will be unavoidable.
This new blood test is painless, inexpensive and non invasive. It is conducted very similarly to any other routine blood test and it is very fast to do, which also makes it a great alternative to the colonoscopy, which takes up a large chunk of time to complete. Another reason this new blood test is a great discovery is because it can detect colon cancer, even when there are only low levels of it in your blood. The earlier you can catch colon cancer, the greater your chances of beating it are, and getting this blood test will save many people’s lives. If you are afraid of colonoscopies, like many people are, go and get this blood test – you may still have to undergo the uncomfortable procedure, but if you get positive results from the blood test, you won’t have to worry about getting a colonoscopy.
