People hear the “C” word and immediately know it’s serious. But the double C, colon cancer, is even more frightening.

According to the American Cancer Society, 50% of colon cancer related deaths could be prevented if all people over the age of 50 were tested for the disease. Plus, colon cancer starts as a non-cancerous growth. If this is caught and removed, you will prevent cancer from ever forming! This is why having a colon cancer test is so important.

There are many different types of colon cancer tests. For instance, a colon cancer blood test detects the presence of blood that is hidden in the feces. Blood in the feces can be an indicator of polyps—precancerous growths—in the rectum.

Another form of colon cancer test detects the level of a protein molecule associated with certain cancers in the blood, tissue or stool sample. This is called a CEA colon cancer test or a carcinoembryonic antigen colon cancer test. High levels of CEA indicate the presence of cancer in the body, most often in the gastrointestinal tract, but can also indicate other things such as infection, that fact that one is a smoker, and benign tumors.

One of the most talked about procedures is the colonoscopy. A colonoscopy involves the insertion of a long, thin tube into the rectum and up into the colon. This tube has a camera on the end, which then feeds images to a monitor. The doctor can then examine the colorectal tract closely and inspect for cancer or abnormal growths. If anything abnormal is found, either it is removed on the spot or a biopsy is taken.

The preventative miracle that is a colon cancer test needs to be more widely recognized. Thousands of people would go on to live to ripe old age if they were to have a colon cancer test done. Talk to you doctor about when the time is right to have a colon cancer test.