Colon cancer trails only breast cancer in women and prostate in men as the most prevalent cancer in America. Like many cancers it is often insidious and goes undetected until it has advanced. Warning signs include rectal bleeding, constipation, weight loss, and abdominal pain. Unexplained anemia may be attributed to bleeding sites in the intestines. Your doctor may suggest a colonoscopy to search for a cause. This involves a sedated exam to look for diseases of the colon, including cancers or precancerous lesions known as polyps.

Researchers at the Gastroenterology Clinic of San Antonio (GCSA) have found that approximately 1/3 of patients without any warning signs of family history of colon cancer or polyps have one or more precancerous polyps at the time of their first colonoscopy. It is recommended that if polyps or colon cancer runs in your family you should seek advice from your gastroenterologist. Average risk (those without symptoms or warning signs or family history) patents should undergo their first exam at age 50. This age is a recommendation based upon evaluations done by a national taskforce that included various GI and Colorectal Surgical Societies and the American Cancer Society.