Remember when Gary had that colonoscopy? He had two polyps, both of the angelic variety? They cut them out, did biopsies, and they were pre-cancerous. BUM bum BUUUUUUUUM.
My take on it was, "Awesome, you've had pre-emptive cancer surgery."
His take was more complicated. Somehow he held these opposing viewpoints in his mind simultaneously:
"Gah! Now I have to have colonoscopies every five years!"
and
"What if the pre-cancer comes back in three years instead of five?"
So, I suppose we could schedule him for a colonoscopy ... in what, four years, if five is too soon and three is too short?
Actually, I'm very pleased with him.
Just to be safe, he should have one every year.
Posted by: Becs | January 27, 2013 at 06:26 AM
It actually takes a while for precancerous to go cancerous with polyps. Every 5 years should be fine. I sure would not care to have one every year and I doubt insurance would go with that.
Posted by: Zayrina | January 27, 2013 at 10:30 AM
I've never understood "precancerous". Ok, it's going to take a while before it turns. But how do they know how long? At what point does it go malignant? Is that sudden or a gradual process? How do they know five years is safe? Maybe if you wait five years, they'll find a 4.9-year-old lesion? Is that ok?
Posted by: ~~Silk | January 27, 2013 at 05:54 PM
Becs - like a Pap smear! Those look for precancerous cells too.
Zayrina - well if insurance doesn't pay then Gary does. You know he always loves the most expensive option. Yearly colonoscopies for everyone!
Silk- this is a good page: http://www.hopkinscoloncancercenter.org/CMS/CMS_Page.aspx?CurrentUDV=59&CMS_Page_ID=0B34E9BE-5DE6-4CB4-B387-4158CC924084
It sounds as if malignancy happens when the pre cancerous cells mingle with the wall of the colon.
Posted by: Thequeen | January 27, 2013 at 11:12 PM
My husband had a precancerous polyp taken out a few years ago. The doc said, "Congratulations on saving your life." No kidding. His father died of colon cancer in his early 60's. They opened his father up, said there was nothing they could do and closed him up again, poor man.
My husband had a five year check up last year, and there were no polyps.
Nice to have him around still, even if he does snore.
Posted by: hattie | January 28, 2013 at 02:46 PM
Thank you for the link. Very informative. However, it says "The dwell time of an early adenoma to its maturation into an advanced adenoma has been projected to be approximately 2-5 years. Similarly, the dwell time of an advanced adenoma has been estimated at 2-5 years, before it matures into an early cancer." Note the words "projected" and "estimated".
So yeah, it looks like you can go from nothing to malignant in 4 years. Factor in "projected" and "estimated", and it could get even more interesting.
So five years is a cost/benefit estimation.
Posted by: ~~Silk | January 28, 2013 at 08:33 PM
http://www.mdanderson.org/patient-and-cancer-information/cancer-information/cancer-topics/prevention-and-screening/cancer-screening-guidelines/colorectal-cancer-screening-exams-increased-risk.html
I believe getting a colonoscopy yearly would rank one among the certifiable.
But that's just me. I would fear the risk of being subjected to exposure to MRSA and human error as well as the risk associated with anesthesia , the latter being of particular concern to those of us getting up their in years. They don't tend to tell you how often older folks emerge after use of anesthesia in the throes of brain scrambling dementia where none was observed before.
I am a precancerous polyp girl myself and I am sticking to my MD recommened schedule of every 5 years.
Posted by: Zayrina | January 29, 2013 at 08:02 AM
Hattie - Garys aunt had colon cancer. But she was very old at the time.
~~Silk - Well the doctor who did his surgery wants to see him agaion, so maybe it'll get increased.
Zayrina - I know someone I was next to in the hospital emerged from surgery a different person - or her daughter insisted it was so.
Posted by: TheQueen | January 29, 2013 at 11:43 PM