Can Routine Lab Tests Give Insight Into Colorectal Health?
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In this program:
Is it possible for colorectal health to be gauged by routine lab tests? Dr. Fola May from UCLA Health shares insight about when lab tests become helpful in diagnosing colorectal cancer and advice to help ensure colorectal cancer is detected early on.
Transcript
Interviewer:
What can lab tests reveal about digestive function in general, and are there particular lab results patients should keep an eye on that may give insight into colorectal health?
Dr. Fola May:
Now this is another area that's very challenging for colorectal cancer is that we don't have at this point very strong biomarkers or laboratory studies that are going to help us diagnose this cancer very early. The best test we have are these screening tests, and these are the tests that we recommend that every American start around age 45, but there aren't routine lab tests that we order when you go to your doctor every year when you're under age 45, that would really show any signs of colorectal cancer. It's really starting in the colon and rectum, and it's not going to affect much until it's very advanced. And as I mentioned, when it's very advanced, if sometimes it's too late for us to have effective treatment. But just to answer the question, and people who have very advanced disease that is a very advanced colorectal cancer, you can have low blood counts that are related to your disease. And then over time, some other signs can show up in your blood level values that show that you've had a cancer that spread throughout your body, but again, it's too late at this point. So we really want to try to find the colorectal cancers before they're affecting our laboratory values.
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