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EZ Detect® Colon Cancer

Screen Kit™

Background Information:

            Colon cancer is the second leading cause of cancer death in the United States.  It affects both men and women about equally and kills more people annually than either breast cancer or prostate cancer.  The reason why there is a high incidence is the lack of awareness, lack of media attention, embarrassment factor, and not enough people taking an active role in monitoring their own health.  However, there is over a 90% cure rate if colon cancer is caught early enough.  Colon cancer is preventable and treatable.  The main key is early detection through screening.  The goal of screening is to detect and remove pre-cancerous polyps, which is the source of nearly all colon cancers.  Colon cancer can strike with no warning signs.  However, one of the most frequent and common early warning sign is blood in stool from the bleeding polyps.  This warning sign is often not noticed because the blood is not visible to the human eye or not acted upon.

 

Diagram of colon, rectum, and other parts of digestive system

 

 

 

 

 

 

Colon, rectum, and other parts of digestive system

Source from: www.cancer.gov

RISK FACTORS
  • Age-incidence of colorectal cancer increase as age increases, more common in people >50 years old
  • Diet-high in fat and calories and low in fiber may be associated with colorectal cancer
  • Polyps-benign growths on the inner wall of the colon and rectum
  • Personal medical history-women with a history of cancer of the ovary, uterus, or breast or a person who has already had colorectal cancer
  • Family medical history-1st-degree relatives (parents, siblings, children) of a person who has had colorectal cancer
  • Ulcerative colitis-the lining of the colon becomes inflamed

 

SIGNS AND SYMPTOMS TO LOOK OUT FOR
  • A change in bowel habits
  • Diarrhea, constipation or feeling that the bowel does not empty completely
  • Blood (either bright red or very dark) in the stool
  • Stools that are narrower than usual
  • General abdominal discomfort:  frequent gas pains, bloating, fullness, cramps
  • Weight loss with no known reason
  • Constant tiredness
  • Vomiting

 

WHO SHOULD GET SCREENED AND AT WHAT AGE?
  • All men and women age 50 or older
  • Men and women with a personal or family history of colorectal cancer or polyps might need to be screened before age 50
  • Men and women with a personal history of inflammatory bowel disease (IBS) might need to be screened before age 50
  • Women who have a personal or family history of ovarian, endometrial or breast cancer may need to be screened for colorectal cancer before age 50

 

STAGES OF COLORECTAL CANCER

Stage 0

Cancer is very early, found only in the innermost lining of the colon or rectum

Stage I

Cancer involves more of the inner wall of the colon or rectum

Stage II

Cancer has spread outside the colon or rectum to nearby tissue, but not to the lymph nodes (small, bean-shaped structures that are part of the body’s immune system)

Stage III

Cancer has spread to nearby lymph nodes, but not to other parts of the body

Stage IV

Cancer has spread to other parts of the body (tends to spread to the liver and/or lungs)

Recurrent

Cancer came back after treatment (may recur in the colon/rectum or other parts of the body)

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NOTE: California Residents - Business and Professions Code 1246.5 Requires That Any Test that has not been approved by the Federal Food and Drug Administration for sale to the public without a prescription as an Over-The-Counter Test kit must be ordered by a Licensed physician acting on a patient's behalf.  All orders for test kits within the state of California

NOTE: New York State Residents New York State health law prohibits the testing of certain specimens collected in or mailed from New York, and prohibits the transmission of data from our laboratory to NY physicians or residents. Therefore, direct receipt of lab results for NY residents is not possible.

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