PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — When a person undergoes a colonoscopy, they have their colon examined, and dangerous polyps can also be removed before they turn into cancer.
But colonoscopies are not the only way to screen for colon cancer. There are at-home stool tests that can also detect if there are issues. The importance of the at-home test is following up with a colonoscopy to allow the at-risk polyps to be removed.
According to a report in the Journal of the American Medical Association, only about 50% of patients with an abnormal stool test follow up each year.
In other words, they have the warning, but are allowing cancer to grow. It is crucial to follow up on these home tests.
Get more medical reports from Dr. Brian McDonough.
KYW Newsradio's Medical Reports are sponsored by Independence Blue Cross.
