Hacker News Board Hacker News, browsed like a classic message board
Live data from Hacker News

Is "colorectal cancer" rising in "young people"?

dynomight.net

Post reply on HN
Print view View original

41–50 of 250 posts

Re: Is "colorectal cancer" rising in "young people"?

#41

Post by hylaride »

TrackerFF wrote: post #8

Had my first colonoscopy 4 months ago, after going for a couple of years with every red flag symptom under the sun. The procedure was a piece of cake. As the standard is where I'm from (Norway), I was only administered some sedatives - but honestly I couldn't feel much difference. I watched the procedure on the screen, which was quite fascinating. The worst part, by far, was the emptying / prepping. A month prior to…

> The worst part, by far, was the emptying / prepping.

This. The procedure itself was a snap (I was completely sedated; I'm in Canada), but it was NOT a fun 2 days of "pooping" pure liquid and being hungry. I don't think I was away from the toilet for more than 20 minutes at a time.

Re: Is "colorectal cancer" rising in "young people"?

#42

Post by panarky »

TrackerFF wrote: post #8

Had my first colonoscopy 4 months ago, after going for a couple of years with every red flag symptom under the sun. The procedure was a piece of cake. As the standard is where I'm from (Norway), I was only administered some sedatives - but honestly I couldn't feel much difference. I watched the procedure on the screen, which was quite fascinating. The worst part, by far, was the emptying / prepping. A month prior to…

My doctor recommended a combination FIT+DNA test instead of colonoscopy (brand name "Cologuard"). She said it's not quite as good as the "gold standard" colonoscopy, but it also doesn't have the risks of colonoscopy.

And the FIT+DNA test is so cheap and easy, you can do it every year or three instead of every 10 years with the colonoscopy.

She still recommends colonoscopies for high-risk patients, but she thinks the risks outweigh the benefits for low-risk patients, so she recommends Cologuard in those situations.

I appreciate this risk-adjusted and probabilistic approach rather than one-size-fits all recommendations.

Re: Is "colorectal cancer" rising in "young people"?

#44

Post by tclancy »

gopalv wrote: post #3

> Yes, if you are currently young, you face higher CRC risk than previous generations did when they were young. That’s the bad news. Unlike the usual Bettridge's law, the answer to the headline is only a qualified "No". It is a "So is all other cancers!", which is pretty bad news for folks who are young and healthy right now.

One thing I can't figure out from the content or the graphs (where I can read the legends with my 1975 eyes) is whether this adjusts for overall mortality rate, which is to say, is any of this effect due to the fact people are more and more likely to wear seat belts, not die of (now-)preventable diseases, etc.?

EDIT: having thought that over a third time, I am not sure it makes any sense.

Re: Is "colorectal cancer" rising in "young people"?

#47

Post by skywhopper »

mrbonner wrote: post #30
jedberg wrote: post #19

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> The worst part, by far, was the emptying / prepping. Protip to those who have it coming up: Ask for the pill prep instead of the "sludge" prep. You end up spending the day on the toilet either way, but at least it doesn't taste as bad with the pills.

I’m doing it this year. Does the pill work as effectively as the drink?

I can’t compare the two, but fwiw, in my experience, while the drink is mildly unpleasant it’s only the texture of the drink itself that’s bad and the fact that you have to drink quite a bit of it. It doesn’t taste bad per se (and you can add flavored drink mix to help) and the “purging” part is painless, ie no cramps or anything.

Re: Is "colorectal cancer" rising in "young people"?

#48

Post by VerifiedReports »

tomjakubowski wrote: post #37
lokar wrote: post #17

People should be reminded that colonoscopy is not just a screening, it is also preventative. They often find growths that may develop into cancer, and remove them during the procedure.

Does insurance see it this way? I've had a couple precancerous moles (melanoma in situ) removed, which seems similar, and my health insurance provider billed me more than I was expecting because they didn't categorize it as preventive care.

I think so, even with shitty U.S. providers. I've never had a problem.

Re: Is "colorectal cancer" rising in "young people"?

#49

Post by xattt »

mrbonner wrote: post #30
jedberg wrote: post #19

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> The worst part, by far, was the emptying / prepping. Protip to those who have it coming up: Ask for the pill prep instead of the "sludge" prep. You end up spending the day on the toilet either way, but at least it doesn't taste as bad with the pills.

I’m doing it this year. Does the pill work as effectively as the drink?

> Oral sodium sulfate in a single dose has been found to cause increased gastrointestinal (GI) events

> Sodium phosphate is no longer recommended as a bowel preparation regimen due to its serious side effects

Essentially, put in the effort and do the liquid bowel prep.

Consider adding flavour drops to your drink, icing it or turn it into a slushie to make it slightly more interesting to drink. The PEG will make the ice crystals slightly more smoother.

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK535368/

Re: Is "colorectal cancer" rising in "young people"?

#50

Post by Hamuko »

TrackerFF wrote: post #8

Had my first colonoscopy 4 months ago, after going for a couple of years with every red flag symptom under the sun. The procedure was a piece of cake. As the standard is where I'm from (Norway), I was only administered some sedatives - but honestly I couldn't feel much difference. I watched the procedure on the screen, which was quite fascinating. The worst part, by far, was the emptying / prepping. A month prior to…

I had a colonoscopy without any sedatives and I agree, the prepping was worse. Not eating for 24 hours was easy, drinking the solution the night before was unpleasant, and drinking the solution the day of was awful.

My pro tip would be to take the day off work. Trying to work while drinking the solution in the morning didn't really work.

Post reply on HN