doctor โฃUrges Continued Colonoscopy Screening Despite Patient Concerns
NEW YORK – An 82-year-old patient with a history of tubular adenoma is weighing whether toโข continue undergoing routine colonoscopies, a debate highlighting the ongoing discussion about preventative cancer screening in older adults. A recent exchange with a medical columnist underscores the benefits of continued screening even โขin the โคabsence ofโค recent polyp detection,despite inherent risks associated with the procedure.
Tubularโฃ adenomas are aโ type of polyp thatโ can, over time, develop into colon cancer. Whileโ the patient’s most recent colonoscopy revealed no polyps, the physician argued that the potential benefitโ of detecting future, potentially cancerous growths outweighs the risks for most healthy individuals of thatโข age, even those โwith pre-existing conditions like high blood pressure adn a heart โvalve replacement.
the doctorโ acknowledged the patient’s concerns about colonoscopy risks but stated these specificโ healthโข issues do not automatically disqualify someone fromโ the โขprocedure.Moreover, if a subsequent colonoscopy wereโข negative,โฃ the physician suggested the patient could then safely discontinueโ screenings, as the lifetime risk of developing colon cancer would be substantially reduced.
“I would respect yourโค decisionโ notโค to have any โคmore colonoscopies, but inโ my opinion, the benefit outweighs the โขrisk for most healthy 82-year-olds with a history of premalignant polyps, even if your most recent one didn’t showโ anyโฃ polyps,” theโฃ doctor wrote.
The exchange also touched on defining a fever, noting that aโ temperature โof 38 degrees โcelsius (100.4 degrees Fahrenheit) isn’t a worldwide โคindicator, as baseline temperatures vary by individual, age, and time of day. An increase ofโ 1-2 degrees Celsius above aโ personal baseline may indicate a โฃfever, โfrequently enough stemming from infection but sometimesโ linked to metabolic conditions. The doctor cautioned that older adults may not always exhibit a fever even with a serious infection, emphasizing the importance of โขrecognizing other symptoms like cough and confusion.
Readers can submit medical questions to ToYourGoodHealth@med.cornell.edu.