Guest guest Posted August 2, 2004 Report Share Posted August 2, 2004 She is almost definitely referring to the FOBT which DOES NOT SCREEN FOR CANCER of any type. It only screens for blood in your stool. AND has a high rate of false negatives and false positives. There are a great many people on this list and others who have had the FOBT and it found no blood even though they had colon cancer already. The American Cancer Society as well as most gastro orgs promote this as a good screening method used in conjunction with sigmoidoscopes every few years. They do not promote the use of the FOBT alone. However, CCNetwork also warns people that sigmoidoscopes only check the first third of the colon and therefore misses the 60% of colon cancer that occurs beyond its visual reach. -Priscilla CCNetwork www.colorectal-cancer.net > > > Date: 2004/08/02 Mon PM 02:21:39 EDT > To: colon_cancer_support > Subject: GCC-1 test > > Priscilla Savary Executive Director Colorectal Cancer Network PO Box 182, Kensington MD 20895 www.colorectal-cancer.net psavary@... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted August 2, 2004 Report Share Posted August 2, 2004 I'm with you Priscilla. My husband Bert had sigs and the blood in stool test done for SEVEN years before his HMO finally agreed to the colonoscopy (at age 50) which found the right colon side tumor that had already gone through the colon wall and invaded 4 nodes...thus, stage III. Estimate of growth time....5+ years. A lot of good all those other tests did him, huh? In my humble opinion, full colonoscopy is about the best screening out there today and the only one that has the greatest chance of catching anything. Monika > Another question that may seem kind of elementary to some. My mother- > in-law is telling me she doesn't need a colonoscopy, she's having the > blood tests done to screen for CC. I don't know what she's referring > to, and she's not sure either. If it's the GCC-1, from the reading > I've been doing about it on the Net, my understanding is that it's > used primarily to detect reoccurrence, not to make an initial > diagnosis. I'm wondering which of us is confused or if maybe we're > both right. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted August 2, 2004 Report Share Posted August 2, 2004 wow!! hope the doctor insists on colonoscopy!! it really IS necessary, blood test won't help with detecting and determining what's really going on. It's not that big a deal to have it done - nice drugs help! and it's over before you know it. I had the colonoscopy, the sigmoid and the ultra sound - all on the same darn day! no kidding! went for the scope and they couldn't remove the " polyp " . Left all cleaned out and dry to see a surgeon that afternoon (so I wouldn't have to do the cleansing portion again at least). He did the other scope (since it was low enough to do it that way) and the ultrasound. It really didn't hurt - just an uncomfortable kind of feeling - no worse than some gas I've had (lol) and of course a little short on the dignity side - but you know what, that didn't matter a bit, compared to not knowing and having to continue living with that unknown. Hope this helps encourage your mom-in-law to get it done..soon! Take care....Sheila Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted August 2, 2004 Report Share Posted August 2, 2004 wow!! hope the doctor insists on colonoscopy!! it really IS necessary, blood test won't help with detecting and determining what's really going on. It's not that big a deal to have it done - nice drugs help! and it's over before you know it. I had the colonoscopy, the sigmoid and the ultra sound - all on the same darn day! no kidding! went for the scope and they couldn't remove the " polyp " . Left all cleaned out and dry to see a surgeon that afternoon (so I wouldn't have to do the cleansing portion again at least). He did the other scope (since it was low enough to do it that way) and the ultrasound. It really didn't hurt - just an uncomfortable kind of feeling - no worse than some gas I've had (lol) and of course a little short on the dignity side - but you know what, that didn't matter a bit, compared to not knowing and having to continue living with that unknown. Hope this helps encourage your mom-in-law to get it done..soon! Take care....Sheila Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted August 2, 2004 Report Share Posted August 2, 2004 amen to that! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted August 2, 2004 Report Share Posted August 2, 2004 amen to that! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted August 2, 2004 Report Share Posted August 2, 2004 : now you're talking!! go get 'em! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You are posting as a guest. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.