The Doctor Is In: Colon cancer screening

(FOX 2) - Content is sponsored and provided by Beaumont Health.

Colon cancer is the third leading cause of cancer-related deaths in both men and women in the United States.

Dr. Harry Wasvary, the director of the multidisciplinary cancer clinic at Beaumont Health, joined us for The Dr. Is In to talk about colon cancer prevention and treatment. 

Regular screenings, such as a colonoscopy, are the best way to detect colon cancer early. New recommendations say to start screening at age 45. 

If the thought of a colonoscopy makes you too unconfortable, you can start with an at-home test. You send your stool in the mail and a lab tests certain things for signs of polyps or growths that could lead to, or be, cancer. 

The next step after that would getting a colonoscopy, which is the gold standard in checking for polyps or growths. The benefit of a colonoscopy is that not only do you find polyps, but also remove them at that given time to fend off cancer in the future. 

You can hear more about colon cancer prevention and treatment in the video player above.