At-home colon cancer screenings are recommended by a Canadian campaign that recently launched. The campaign effort is to help stop the development of the cancer. And that may just happen if people take at-home colon cancer screenings, which will ideally detect colon cancer before it gets worse.

Put together by the Canadian Health Research Institute, the campaign urges people to take part in at-home colon cancer screenings because the survival rate is thought to  be over 90 percent when the cancer is caught early. When colon cancer is caught early, it is thought to be highly curable.

The Canadian Health Research Institute hopes that by taking these tests, people with colon cancer will have it detected before it gets worse. Since colon cancer is the second deadliest type of cancer in Canada, it makes sense that this campaign was launched.

Also known as colorectal cancer or large bowel cancer, colon cancer causes over 655,000 deaths every year, all over the world. University of Utah researchers were able to trace a gene mutation for colon cancer back to Mr. and Mrs. George Frye, some of the very first settlers to the New World. If you carry the mutation, there’s a 70 percent chance of getting colon cancer, while a 4 percent chance is there for those without the gene.

The third leading cause of cancer death in the United States, colon cancer begins as benign polyps, which are abnormal growths in the large intestine. Later, these polyps become cancerous. Abdominal pain, unknown weight loss and diarrhea are some of the symptoms of colon cancer.

Get an At-Home Colon Cancer Screening

So take a tip from this Canadian campaign and get an at-home colon cancer screening. HealthCheckUSA offers a colon cancer screening, the fecal occult blood test (FOBT). The FOBT screens for gastrointestinal bleeding, and it can help diagnose colon cancer in its early stages so that it can possibly be cured. The way it works is that it collects a sample that is then analyzed. The colon cancer screening kit gets sent directly to you from HealthCheckUSA, and then you collect samples and mail the kit in a pre-addressed envelope to the laboratory so you can get your results after it’s been analyzed.

Getting a negative colon cancer screening doesn’t mean that the possibility of colon cancer is completely ruled out. The same goes for a positive screening: it doesn’t mean you absolutely have cancer. Hemorroids, anal fissures and Crohn’s Disease are some things that could be the reason for blood in your stool. You’ll want to contact your doctor if you experience any symptoms or abnormal results from the at-home colon cancer screening.

Roots of Colon Cancer

Colon cancer has roots in some of the first to make America their new home. Research done by the University of Utah has traced a gene mutation for colon cancer all the way back to some of the very first settlers to the New World.

Mr. and Mrs. George Frye are genetically responsible for a significant number of colon cancer cases today. Those with the mutation almost a 70% chance of getting colon cancer, compared with 4% of those who do not carry the gene.

Symptoms of Colon Cancer

Colon cancer, also known as colorectal cancer, is the third leading cause of cancer death in the United States. Colon cancer starts as benign polyps, abnormal growths in the large intestine. These polyps later become cancerous. Symptoms include diarrhea, abdominal pain and unknown weight loss.

Screen for Colon Cancer

Don’t know if the Fryes are your distant relatives? Good news. Colon cancer can be treated if diagnosed early. HealthCheckUSA offers a fecal occult blood test (FOBT) as a colon cancer screening. The test screens for gastrointestinal bleeding and can help diagnose colon cancer in its early stages.

Cancer screenings: fear is the killer

Cancer screenings are one of the most important kinds of laboratory tests you can take. What’s so important about cancer screenings, you ask?

A personal cancer screening story

A favorite uncle and aunt of mine used to live overseas with my cousin James. James and his parents were a treat, if one rarely seen. They never complained, and always had a ready smile or joke. Honest people for whom every moment was a simple pleasure.

And so it was, because Aunt Mary had cancer. She never got a cancer screening; she just lived with the pain, perhaps afraid of what a cancer screening would tell her, perhaps already believing that the cancer would kill her before age 50 and devastate the family. Rather than tell her husband and get a cancer screening, she kept the disease hidden, preferring to avoid cancer treatments and enjoy the time she had.

Cancer screenings shed light

Our grief at her passing was accentuated knowing that she could’ve lived a full life with a timely cancer screening like one of the three cancer screenings offered by HealthCheckUSA. An early cancer screening would’ve allowed her to get a doctor’s diagnosis, avoid long chemotherapy and strike at the cancer pre-emptively. HealthCheckUSA really can be your best defense against disease.

The HealthCheckUSA cancer screening difference

Cancer screenings at HealthCheckUSA provide you with important advantages. They generally cost much less than the lab tests you’d order at a hospital because there are no hidden markups. A fully accredited medical reference laboratory analyzes every cancer screening result. These are the same cancer screenings ordered by physicians. However, with HealthCheckUSA cancer screenings, you control what tests you take and when.

Nothing beats the peace of mind of a HealthCheckUSA cancer screening. If you suspect you might be at risk for ovarian cancer, colon cancer or prostate cancer, order a health test at our website today.

Colon cancer, the second leading cause of cancer deaths in the United States, has predominately been tested through a colonoscopy. But detecting colon cancer could become much easier and less invasive in the near future with doctors at John Hopkins announcing that they have found a way to screen for colon cancer through a blood test. This may be a sigh of relief for many, with doctors recommending that every person over the age of 50 recieve a colonoscopy.

By analyzing the blood test results of patients with colon cancer compared to those without the disease, the researchers have been able to distinguish the results of those who have the cancer from those who do not. In their initial tests, John Hopkins researchers have been able to determine and identify pre-cancerous polyps, cancer related proteins, and cells produced by cancers as effectively as a colonoscopy. If the testing passes the next stage of the FDA approval process–expanding the testing to 500 people to confirm their findings–the blood tests could be available to the general public in as little as two years time. Researchers say that the procedure will be most effective at determining who should get a colonoscopy and who should not. Eventually, the doctors believe that a blood test could go as far as determining who has colon cancer.

The blood testing method will appeal to those who find a colonoscopy too intrusive or uncomfortable, hopefully ensuring that more people will be tested for the cancer. With the number of people over the age of 50 growing each year and the risk of developing colon cancer increasing as you age, increased testing means saved lives. These new findings are just one more reason why performing preventative health screens is a smart and easy way to ensure your future health.

HealthCheckUSA currently offers a colon cancer screening blood  test known as the fecal occult blood test, or FOBT. This colon cancer screening is recommended annually for men and women after age 50, and even earlier for people who may be at high risk for colon cancer. If you have any questions about ordering a colon cancer screening, or any other lab test, please contact us.