There are at least a hundred thousand cases of colon cancer diagnosed yearly in the United States. The good news, however, is that the incidence of this disease and the mortality rate has slightly decreased in recent years. This could either be a result of early colon cancer diagnosis or treatment of the disease, or a combination of both.

In the case of other cancers, tests look for small, malignant lesions. Tests for colon cancer diagnosis, however, search for pre-malignant, benign polyps. This can be almost a hundred percent effective in preventing colon cancer development. Because early colon cancer diagnosis often leads to a complete cure, it is very important, especially for those who are at high risk for colon cancer, that they get regular screening.

Next to lung cancer, colon cancer is the second leading cause of death in the country. Colon cancer often starts with just a few benign polyps in the areas of the gastrointestinal tracts but undetected, these polyps can spread to other organs of the body and develop into cancerous cells. This is the terminal colon cancer stage.

This is perhaps why it is important for people to detect these polyps early on so as to prevent the development of cancer to the terminal stage. Early diagnosis in fact is very much important not only the prevention but also in the treatment of terminal colon cancer. Even if the disease has already spread, a much earlier diagnosis has a better prognosis because it is much easier to treat than a disease that is already in the terminal stages.