One type of cancer we can check for is colon cancer, which is very common in both men and women in the United States. A colonoscopy is a test that doctors use to look for this type of cancer. It can also stop colon cancer from happening by taking out growths called polyps before they become cancerous.
If you are age 45-75 years and doctors find no issues during your colonoscopy, they usually recommend having another colonoscopy in 10 years. They keep track of how many people in this age group follow that advice.
For people with polyps found during their colonoscopy, the next test is usually suggested within 3 years. Doctors also keep track of how many people age 18 and older have had a follow-up colonoscopy at least 3 years after their last one.
UAB Medicine works hard to help people stay healthy and catch problems like colorectal cancer early. We do this by following national guidelines, which means checking people for colon cancer as recommended.
To make sure that we always get better at what we do, UAB Medicine regularly looks at our own work, to see how well we care for patients and determine if we can improve.