Badass Blood Test For Colorectal Cancer Screening
- CC
- 6 days ago
- 5 min read
This may be one of the most important articles you read today! There is a NEW (non-invasive) TEST for Colorectal Cancer (CRC) screening with 83% accuracy. (Colonoscopy is still the gold standard.)
As a Rectal Cancer Survivor, I make it part of my mission in life to convince people to get life saving preventative procedures like colonoscopy. But, I increasingly run into older people who fall into two groups: 1) The Refusers: Mostly out of some unfounded or deep-seated fear. Denial, complacency or the belief it won't happen to them, can also play a role. Or 2) The Under-informed: These are people whose doctors advise against colonoscopy after age 65, because the doctor is under-informed, so are they. Many older people fall into this category because they come from a generation that do not question a doctors word. As a cancer survivor whose diagnosis was delayed because people thought I was “too young for cancer” even in my 50s - I’m here to tell you, sometimes it’s OK to question! In fact, I encourage it! I want to be clear. Before the colorectal cancer diagnosis trend ticked upward for people under 45, it was still very prevalent among elderly adults. I know people who were diagnosed in their 80s. My own Gastroenterologist, recommends colonoscopy into the 90s for healthy people. And that fear I mentioned in group 1, it’s often instilled by uninformed and misguided medical professionals…
After a recent family health situation, the family member in question, talked with some friends who told her that their doctor told them, they didn’t need colonoscopies after age 65! This is not the first time I’ve heard this, and it horrifies me! I know plenty of people diagnosed with colorectal cancers AFTER age 65. In my personal opinion, you are doing yourself a grave disservice by not getting screened. In fact, people over 65 are the one class of people - because of medicare - who don’t have to worry about insurance covering their colonoscopies! It’s almost always covered!
You may have heard that cancer rates are rising for those under 45, and declining for those over 65. While that is true, the decrease is only in single digit percentages - 2.5% - That's still A LOT OF CANCER! Keep in mind that CRC is still the number one cancer killer in the US, and that rectal cancer (also CRC) is a far more aggressive cancer. Add to that, as a cancer, CRC doesn't have it's own line-item budget for research, and cancer research budgets have now been slashed, so the data numbers can fall behind. And before you think this downward trend is good news for you as an elderly adult, consider this: "The decline [in diagnoses] in older adults is largely attributed to long-term screening [colonoscopy], which detects precancerous polyps [before they become cancer], while the increase in younger adults is driven by rising rates of rectal cancer [and screening, like colonoscopy is often hard to obtain or get covered by insurance]."
So the REASON why CRC is declining in people over 65 is actually because they have access to screening that the youngers do not have. These stats are proof of my point.
THE SCREENING is what is saving lives, and you're never too old to get screened!
The data:
In this time of rampant medical and scientific misinformation - it’s important to know the FACTS! This old school thinking, quite literally kills people. And, I’m here to tell you that dying of cancer is not a fun way to go. I’ve now watched way too many people go out that way! Cancer treatment is far more difficult for older people and significantly more costly.
An ounce of prevention - or blood in this case - is worth a pound of cure! 🩸
And Yes, as with every procedure, there are risks, and those risks can increase with age, BUT, that is why you need a QUALIFIED and informed medical professional who A) understands current trends, B) believes in scientific data, and C) someone who takes the time to get to know you and your personal health history. As well as, D) someone skilled to take appropriate precautions with an “older colon.”
That said, if you are not an otherwise healthy elderly adult or you fall in Group 1 or 2, there are a couple of other options I want you to know about. These are by no means meant to replace colonoscopy - it is still the gold standard - but, they can be reliable. The latest one, is the one is the one I’m sharing an article about, because it’s the newest cutting edge technology and the least effort, plus highly reliable at 83%!
The first option is the NEW Guardant Shield test - this is a simple blood test. Some of you may be familiar with Guardant Reveal because I talk about it all the time. The Reveal is a part of my cancer surveillance as a survivor in remission. It detects circulating tumor DNA (ctDNA) - microscopic cancer cells - in the blood, before a scan ever would. The Shield test is a similar science:
“For the first time, a blood test has been added to the list of the American Cancer Society’s recommended screenings for colorectal cancer. It’s not meant to replace colonoscopies, aiming instead at catching people who might not get screened otherwise.”
Source: NBC News
The second option, which I will not go into detail with, is called Cologuard. This is an at home “poop test” where you poop into a bucket and mail it off to a lab for analysis. This test has mixed results but is in general, accurate - I know people who have been diagnosed by using it. HOWEVER you should know that if you’ve ever had polyps removed, you do not qualify to take this test.
And speaking of Polyps, neither of these two less invasive tests can detect a polyp. Only a colonoscopy can do that. Polyps are often small and benign and can be removed during the colonoscopy - but if left to grow - can turn cancerous.
Many people do not understand that the digestion system is one of the most delicate systems in your body, and its connections to other illnesses as well as inflammation (which causes other illnesses), means that good digestive health is crucial to your overall health and well-being. I’m sure you’ve heard the term “gut microbiome”? Without a healthy gut, many other bodily functions can go awry. In fact, we are finding more and more that the gut is the key to so many other wellness factors! It also takes up a good portion of your body - at least three feet! Isn’t it worth taking care of? Because I know for a fact, you are worth it!
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