Medical Advices Blog

Early diagnosis for high-risk individuals

The diagnostic tests are necessary in patients with higher risk of disease than the general population. Therefore, the study of high-risk patients will improve the results of screening tests for having a higher diagnostic yield in these people in which individual risk is considerable. There are two groups of patients considered candidates for early diagnosis required:

- Those who have a first degree relative (parent, brother/son/daughter) who developed colorectal cancer before age 45. The risk of colorectal cancer in these individuals is estimated at 1 in 10.

- Those who have two (or more) first degree relatives with colorectal cancer. The risk of colorectal cancer in these individuals is 1 in 6.Since colorectal cancer develops in families (hereditary or genetically determined) tends to appear around age 50, the improvement in survival for each individual investigated is much higher than for a patient with average risk. The benefit is less than 10% of 25 years (see the calculations presented above) because some tumors will be diagnosed type sporadic (occur by chance) and, therefore, of later onset.

However, the average benefit for each individual studied, assuming a 50% reduction in mortality would be significantly higher at 12 months. The test performed must be the colonoscopy, because the tendency is hereditary tumors are located in the cecum (far side of the anus). The early diagnosis program should begin 10 years before that age at which the youngest family the cancer occurred. Then must be done again every 5 years.

credit to: Dr. Julio Mayol Martínez, Dr. Jonathan Rhodes

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