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Ulcerative Colitis
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Posted 12/31/2009 1:56 PM (GMT 0)
Im scared,,,,,,,its been 3 years since i had a colonoscopy. My Dr is doing one mon ,,,,,,says im into my 14th year w, the disease and my cancer risk goes up ,,,,,,,,Im hoping because my bouts arent terribble ,,(never been hospitalized) that i am ok,,,,,,,,
Posted 12/31/2009 2:00 PM (GMT 0)
People who are obese especially if the fat is in the abdomen area have a 50% higher risk of Bowel Cancer. People with Diabetes are also at risk... IBD patients have a similar life expectancy to normal population. This board has a high % of people who are doing quite unwell or regularly flaring I wonder how many of them have had Cancer as a result if IBD?

Anxiety and Stress can also make us ill mate... I wish I could heed my own advice, I too like you would be petrified but if your blood work is OK then the risk is low I'd guess?

Good luck, may God give us all good health.
Posted 12/31/2009 2:02 PM (GMT 0)
thnx,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,I dont do bloodwork,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,
Posted 12/31/2009 2:12 PM (GMT 0)
I understand your nervousness! And at this point your doctor may well tell you that you need to do colonoscopies every year because of that increased risk. Whatever schedule your doctor suggests, it would be smart to carry through.
Why don't you ask your doc how many biopsies he/she plans to do, how many cm.s apart? That will likely make you feel more confident in the results, also.

I was DX with proctitis more than 26 years ago, and UC more than 23 years ago, and even though I have had some significant flares over the years, my scoping and many biopsies in September showed no dysplasia - so, cancer is a risk but not a certainty.

But - every year when I get ready for the scoping I do get a little nervous, so I understand that. What helps me is to focus on how good I'll feel after the procedure is over!
Posted 12/31/2009 2:23 PM (GMT 0)
After 10 years, the risk of colon cancer increases but it depends on several factors; severity, extent and length of time. We only have a slight increase of colon cancer then the normal population. I have had Uc for 17 years and not once have I had a biopsy come back with dysplasia. I go every two years because I am past the 10 year mark. The prep is the worst but I always feel better after a scope too and breath a sigh of relief that I don't have to do it for another 2 years.
Posted 12/31/2009 2:37 PM (GMT 0)
Downs, according to the National Institutes of Health, people with IBD have an overall colon cancer rate of 5%. The individual risk is affected by severity and location of the disease. Here is the reference if you care to read more:


http://digestive.niddk.nih.gov/ddiseases/pubs/colitis/
Posted 12/31/2009 2:40 PM (GMT 0)
Someone on these boards a few weeks ago was of the opinion that UC'ers will have a better prognosis of colon cancer than the general population if we get colonoscopies yearly. Sounds reasonable to me. I've read that if caught early, there is a 90% chance you will not die of colon cancer within five years of diagnosis. And, if you haven't after five years, you are considered cured from the bowel cancer anyway. Can't remember the source on that, but the info is accurate.
Posted 12/31/2009 3:22 PM (GMT 0)
I worry about it too. I'm also on remicade and I worry about cancer and the side effects from that too. I was diagnosed in March of 2009 and I have very severe throughout my whole colon. My doctor will do a colonoscopy every year she said just to be on the safe side. I try to calm myself down when I worry. I know it is easier said then done. UC is no fun....
Posted 12/31/2009 3:22 PM (GMT 0)
I know how you feel. I haven't had UC for that long but when I was diagnosed, I had a sigmoidoscopy and my GI found a precancerous polyp. She did the sigmoidoscopy instead of a full colonoscopy because we thought I had internal hemmroids. After finding the precancerous polyp, I wasn't able to get a colonoscopy for well over a year! The whole time I was worried I had others that were developing into cancer. My doctor told me it was extremely important that I got checked out but I had no insurance and I couldn't afford to pay out of pocket.

Why don't you just go get a colonoscopy and see what's going on? If you don't have insurance, you may be able to do what I did, join a clinical trial for UC.

On an aside, I got the colonoscopy 6 months ago or so and I was fine.

Posted 12/31/2009 3:29 PM (GMT 0)

Colon cancer is typically slow growing so if you are getting check-ups as per your GIs request, you should put your mind at ease.  However, inflammation causes cells to change so staying on top of symptoms and doing all you can to reduce flares will help reduce the incidence of CC.  When CC is found early it is highly curable so all the more reason to stay on a scope/biopsy schedule the longer you have UC.

Sue

Posted 12/31/2009 6:16 PM (GMT 0)
Its been my biggest fear....I am on year 14 right now.... I go every 1 to 2 years for the buttscope....so far biopsies have been negative for dysplacia.... So far...
Posted 12/31/2009 6:36 PM (GMT 0)
wow!!!!!,,,you are on alot of meds!!!
Posted 12/31/2009 7:57 PM (GMT 0)

downs said...

thnx,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,I dont do bloodwork,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,


What does that mean?



q
Posted 12/31/2009 7:59 PM (GMT 0)
Being scared won't change a thing, all you can do is have regular c-scopes and if you're on meds remain on them.

5ASA meds are truly believed to help prevent colon cancer.....I'm in my 21st year since diagnosis and so far all is clear.

Oh, I also have UC-related liver disease and that ups the risk as well.....I'm definitely staying on the 5ASA as long as my body tolerates them.

q
Posted 1/1/2010 2:10 AM (GMT 0)
Unlike you, I was more scared by/tired of UC than cancer. Sometimes, I just wish my UC led to cancer sooner so that I would be able to end this tough life. For me, the meaning of life is not only limited to being alive, insteadly, a healthy body means more than anything (love, sex, play, career, etc). I was certainly defeated by UC, although anything else such as poverty, famine was/is not a problem at all to me. I would treasure every second without the damed UC even if I could have cancer. I hhhhhhhaaaaattttttteeeeeee UC!
Posted 1/1/2010 2:57 AM (GMT 0)

Judy2 said...
Downs, according to the National Institutes of Health, people with IBD have an overall colon cancer rate of 5%. The individual risk is affected by severity and location of the disease. Here is the reference if you care to read more:


http://digestive.niddk.nih.gov/ddiseases/pubs/colitis/[/quoe]

Very interesting information. It says that "the risk of cancer increases with the duration of the disease and how much the colon has been damaged" and that "if only the lower colon and rectum are involved, the risk of cancer is no higher than normal." My GI doesn't know this. I asked him, and he said that I would need to get colonoscopies every year after the 10-year mark due to having UC. He said that studies showed I was at a higher risk, because I have UC and that he did not know how much the increased risk depended on the severity of the disease. He said that it could be that just having UC could trigger getting cancer after ten years. I will have to share this information with him the next time I see him, because according to this information, my risk of getting colon cancer is no higher than normal. There must be a whole bunch of people getting yearly colonoscopies that don't need it.

I wouldn't worry about colon cancer though if you aren't showing any symptoms and are getting frequent colonoscopies. I haven't looked into it, but I think the worst that can happen is that the colon will need to be surgically removed. Considering that the "cure" for UC is getting the colon removed, if your colon has gotten to the point in which it is severely damaged, getting it removed could end up being a blessing in disguise.

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