人们什么时候应该做结肠癌检查

A group of health experts wants adults to start getting tested for colon cancer at age 45. That is five years younger than the age it formerly recommended for colon cancer screenings.

一群健康专家希望成年人从45岁开始做结肠癌检查。这比以前建议的结肠癌筛查年龄小了5岁。

Screening is a medical term. It means the act of doing a test on a person to look for evidence of a disease or health problem.
筛查是医学术语。它是指给人做检查以寻找疾病或健康问题证据的行为。

In the United States, colon cancer rates have been falling in recent years. But the recent screening proposal, released by the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force, shows that experts are concerned about rising colon cancer rates in people under the age of 50.
美国近年来的结肠癌发病率一直在下降。但是美国预防服务工作小组最近发布的筛查建议表明，专家对50岁以下人群结肠癌发病率上升非常担心。

Alex Krist is a family doctor at Virginia Commonwealth University and a member of the Preventive Services Task Force. He spoke to The Associated Press.
亚历克斯·克里斯特是弗吉尼亚联邦大学的全科医生，也是美国预防服务工作小组的成员。他接受了美联社的采访。

"We've seen more data showing that younger people are getting colon cancer at higher rates," Krist said. "Basically, a 45-year-old today has the same risk of getting colon cancer as a 50-year-old from years past."
克里斯特表示：“我们发现有更多数据表明，年轻人群有很高比例患上结肠癌。基本上，如今45岁人群与过去50岁人群患上结肠癌的风险相同。”

The Preventive Services Task Force is a volunteer group of doctors. They study evidence and offer recommendations about medical tests and treatments.
美国预防服务工作小组是由医生组成的志愿组织。他们研究相关证据并为医学检查和治疗提供建议。

The group is suggesting that adults of average risk for colon cancer be screened from ages 45 to 75. How often the tests are done depends on the kind of screening.
该组织建议对年龄在45到75岁人群患上结肠癌的平均风险进行筛查。检查频率取决于筛查类型。

A careful examination of the colon – known as a colonoscopy -- is usually done every five to 10 years. Other exams, such as stool-based tests, can be performed every year.
通常每5到10年要对结肠进行一次仔细的检查，也就是做一次结肠镜检查。每年可以做其它检查，例如大便常规检查。

"Most people who get colon cancer have no signs, no symptoms and no risks. And so that's why we recommend that everyone get screened," Krist said.
克里斯特表示：“大多数结肠癌患者没有迹象、没有症状和不具备风险。因此我们建议对所有人进行筛查。”

The task force suggestion on screening is not for people who have colon cancer, polyps or a family history of colon cancer or genetic disorders. All of those conditions can increase their risk.
该工作小组建议的筛查不适用于患有结肠癌、息肉，或是有结肠癌或遗传疾病家族病史的人群。所有这些情况都可能增加其风险。

Colon cancer, along with rectal cancer, is the third leading cause of cancer deaths in the United States. There will be an estimated 148,000 new cases nationwide this year.
结肠癌以及直肠癌是美国癌症死亡的第三大死因。估计今年全美国将会有14.8万例新病例。

The Task Force's suggestions are now the same as those from the American Cancer Society. In 2018, the American Cancer Society lowered the screening age from 50 to 45. With the change, doctors should feel at ease recommending colon cancer screens to younger patients, said the cancer group's Robert Smith.
该工作小组的建议现在跟美国癌症协会的建议相同。2018年，美国癌症协会将筛查年龄从50岁降低到45岁。该协会的罗伯特·史密斯表示，随着这一变化，医生们可以放心向年轻患者推荐结肠癌筛查。

Earlier testing would help identify polyps or early cancer in younger patients before the disease requires more aggressive treatment, said Doctor Nancy You. She works at MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston.
南希·尤医生表示，尽早检查有助于赶在需要更积极治疗之前，发现年轻患者的息肉或是早期癌症。她就职于休斯顿安德森癌症中心。

"We have a lot more treatment options that are less invasive and have better results when we treat cancer at the earlier stages," You said. "That makes a huge difference to our patients."
尤医生表示：“我们在治疗早期癌症时有更多治疗选择，它们具有较小的侵入性，并具有更好的疗效。这对患者来说大不一样。”

Experts believe it will still be difficult to screen people for colon cancer. Currently, 1 in 4 people between 50 and 75 have never been tested for the disease. Only about 60 percent of U.S. adults are up to date on their colon cancer screenings, Krist said.
专家认为，给人们做结肠癌筛查仍然会很困难。目前，50到70岁人群当中有1/4的人从未做过这种疾病的筛查。克里斯特表示，只有大约60%的美国成年人及时做结肠癌筛查。

I'm John Russell.
我是约翰·罗素。

Words in This Story

colon – n. the main part of the large intestine

recommend – v. to suggest that someone do (something)

data – n. facts and other information collected for use in studies

stool – n. waste product

symptom – n. a sign or marker of something

polyp -- n. medical : a small mass of a substance that grows inside your body (such as inside your colon or on your vocal cords)

option – n. choice

invasive – adj. medical : involving entry into the body by cutting or by loading or adding an instrument