Colonoscopy: A Diagnostic Test for Early Colon Cancer Diagnosis

Abstract

Colonoscopy is a medical test to help find potential problems, such as colorectal cancer or polyps. Polyps are small growths, they are not cancer, but they can turn into cancer. Data from the World Health Organization (WHO), shows that Cancer is a leading cause of death worldwide, accounting for nearly 10 million deaths in 2020, or nearly one in six deaths, the most common cancers are breast, lung, colon and rectum and prostate cancers. Also, the WHO data shows that colorectum (colon and rectum) cancer alone in 2020 had 1.93 million cases and resulted in 916,000 deaths. Data from the World Cancer Research Fund International (WCRF) showed that Colorectal cancer is the 3rd most common cancer worldwide. It is the 3rd most common cancer in men and the 2nd most common cancer in women. And lastly, data from the American Cancer Society (ACS) estimates that the number of colorectal cancers in the United States for 2023 are 106,970 new cases of colon cancer, and 46,050 new cases of rectal cancer. Overall, the lifetime risk of developing colorectal cancer is about 1 in 23 for men and 1 in 26 for women, however, each person’s risk might be higher or lower than this, depending on their risk factors for colorectal cancer. In the United States, colorectal cancer is the third leading cause of cancer-related deaths in both men and women, and it’s the second most common cause of cancer deaths when numbers for men and women are combined. It’s expected to cause about 52,550 deaths during 2023. This article was written with the aim of explaining and providing up-to-date information on the progress made in the field of colonoscopy and its use in diagnosing colorectal/colon cancer.