If you're age 45 or older, your doctor has probably begun pestering you to schedule colon cancer screening. You might even get mailers in the mail telling you to do the same. If you're like many outwardly healthy patients, you might shrug off these suggestions and figure that you'll wait until you're older to worry about colon cancer and the associated screening. But this is not a smart move. Here are three reasons why you really should listen to your doctor and schedule a colon cancer screening appointment soon.

1. Colon cancer does not cause symptoms right away.

Patients often believe that they would already know if they had colon cancer and see symptoms in their daily lives. But the truth is, the symptoms of colon cancer do not usually develop until the cancer is quite severe. By the time you do have stomach pain, notice blood in your stool, or feel tired, colon cancer can be really serious and very hard to treat. Colon cancer screening, on the other hand, allows colon cancer to be detected before you have symptoms. The fact that you don't have symptoms right now does not, in any way, suggest screening is unnecessary for you.

2. Colon cancer screening gives your doctor a baseline for future tests.

Even if you do not have colon cancer right now, the screening appointment will give your doctor images of your colon in its current state. Then, when you have your next screening appointment, your doctor will compare what they see then to what they see now. Any changes in the appearance of your colon can clue your doctor into potential colon cancer symptoms and other conditions of the colon as well. Without an early baseline for comparison, later screening sessions won't be as informative.

3. It's safe.

In addition to being a really beneficial and important tool for treating colon cancer, colon cancer screening is very safe. People sometimes worry about issues like perforated colons, but such complications are incredibly rare. You are far, far more likely to develop colon cancer than to suffer any ill effects from the procedures used to detect it.

There's a reason why doctors and so many different cancer-related organizations want you to be screened for colon cancer. They want what's best for you! Talk to your doctor if you have any additional concerns.

For more information, contact a local organization that offers colon cancer screenings, like Gastro Health.