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Colorectal cancer (CRC) is the fourth most common type of cancer in both men and women in Latin America and the Caribbean, with almost 135,000 cases each year in both sexes combined, and 57,000 deaths over the same period. One in every 20 people will receive this diagnosis at some point in their life.

Age, family history, race, and ethnicity are the main non-modifiable risk factors for CRC. The risk factors that people can modify—and therefore lower their likelihood of developing CRC—are diet, physical activity, weight, smoking, and alcohol consumption.

But there is one strategic action that can tip the balance from illness to health and from life to death: getting a simple occult blood test on a stool sample that can indicate the need for a colonoscopy.

What do these exams involve?

Colonoscopy became a routine test recently, but the procedure has existed since 1969. That same era also saw the first use of another popular test: the fecal occult blood test. This is a simple laboratory test that checks a stool sample for traces of blood that are difficult to see with the naked eye.

The fecal occult blood test (FOBT) is a screening test for colorectal cancer. It can also be used to diagnose other causes of bleeding in the digestive tract. Since this test can detect bleeding almost anywhere in the digestive tract, several conditions can cause a positive result. If blood is present, the doctor will order more tests to determine its origin.

Not only does colonoscopy have the potential to detect colorectal cancer early, when it’s easier to treat successfully, but it can also prevent this type of cancer from developing through the removal of polyps, which are growths of extra tissue in the intestinal walls that can potentially turn into cancer.

This exam is done in a medical setting, the hospital, or a specialist clinic. It requires preparation beforehand that involves drinking a liquid to empty the intestine and fasting for several hours so that the intestine is as clear as possible of any residual food. This way, the doctor can examine the intestine using a colonoscope, which has a camera on its end. At an earlier appointment, the gastroenterologist will explain all the necessary steps, benefits, risks (which are minimal), and side effects.

This is an outpatient procedure that is done in under one hour and requires anesthesia. Depending on what they find, the doctor will use reliable information from the exam to tell you whether your next colonoscopy will be in 10 years or whether you will need another one sooner, if they had to remove any polyps.

Most polyps are not dangerous in and of themselves, but they can become cancerous. For this reason, the doctor doing the colonoscopy can both detect and remove them at the same time during the procedure, which eliminates the chance of them becoming malignant in the future.

At what age should you start?

Although epidemiology indicates that colorectal cancer most affects people aged 50 and over, and men at a somewhat higher rate than women, scientists have been observing a trend: this cancer is appearing more often in young adults. That’s why colonoscopy is now being recommended as part of routine testing earlier in life in some populations.

Depending on a person’s medical and genetic history, there is a scientific consensus that having these tests around age 40 can be a way to cheat fate and help people live longer disease-free.

Studies have confirmed colonoscopy as a tool for early intervention: it can reduce the risk of death by colorectal cancer by up to 61% thanks to early detection.

Unfortunately, a high percentage of cases are diagnosed at advanced stages of the disease, when treatments are costlier and the chance of success is lower.

In any event, both older adults and young adults who still feel immortal must not delay a visit to the doctor if any of these symptoms appear:

• Changes in bowel movements
• Blood in stool
• Diarrhea or constipation
• Persistent abdominal pain or cramping
• Unintentional weight loss

These symptoms can be triggered by malignant polyps, but people can also have these polyps and not show any signs. That’s why people must be proactive with their health care and speak to their doctor about these two preventative tests.

This story was produced using content from original studies or reports, as well as other medical research and health and public health sources cited in links throughout the article.