Quote:
Originally Posted by dirk digler
I did a Cologuard a couple of years ago and it came back good but I asked my doctor a couple of weeks ago since I am now 52 if I should do a colonoscopy. He said no need since my Cologuard was good. Ok then..
He did tell me the older you get the risks go down for colon cancer that is why they lowered the test age to 45. Thought that was interesting and hope he is not an idiot.
|
I was an Endoscopy RN for 4 years. 100% of what that MD said sounds wrong. Cologuard is an "ok" diagnostic tool, but it is not the gold standard by any means. There are false negatives a lot with that test. If you are 50+ you need a colonoscopy, end of sentence. If its clear then you don't have to get one for another 10 years (depending on family history.) As you age your risk goes up not down. Once you hit 85 you don't have to get them anymore because colon cancers grow very slowly, and the probability is you will pass away before a cancer would grow.