Colon cancer: Easy kit may spot it early

At a recent check up, I was filling my practitioner in on That's Fit and the things we talk about here. "You should write about colon cancer," she said, and then told me she'd been diagnosed with it last year. I was shocked. She's young, takes good care of herself, eats right. She said that colon cancer is showing up in younger people more than ever. She thinks that everyone over 40 should have a fecal blood test, which is an inexpensive and painless way to check for blood in the stool.

I put the topic on my mental "to-do" list, but then today came across this article. New fecal blood tests can screen for colon cancer with a great deal of accuracy, but it seems that not very many people are using them. Most people go right for the colonoscopy, but because that's a test that isn't recommended until after age 50, younger people aren't being screened. Official recommendations haven't changed to include those over 40, but it might be worth mentioning to your doctor.