President Bush is keeping up with his colon cancer screenings. Good thing -- because five small growths were found and removed during his latest scan on Saturday.The polyps found inside his large intestine were all less than one centimeter in size and did not appear suspicious. Still, they were sent to the National Naval Medical Center in Bethesda, Md., to be microscopically examined for signs of cancer. Polyps can turn into cancer, so finding them early is the best way to prevent the disease and improve the odds of surviving it. It takes 48 to 72 hours for pathology reports to come back, but the majority of polyps this size are unlikely to be cancerous.
Bush is no stranger to polyps. In 1998, after a similar scan, two polyps were found. In 1999, two more surfaced. And while none were found during his 2002 screening, he has become a prime candidate for regular examinations. For the general population, colonoscopy tests are recommended every 10 years.
An estimated 112,340 new cases of colon cancer and 41,420 new cases of rectal cancer will be reported this year, according to the National Cancer Institute. About 52,000 people in the United States will die this year of colon and rectal cancer.
