Jan 2, 2014 09:03PM - edited Jan 2, 2014 09:06PM by elimar

Hello Ladies,  I had both BC and CRC.  The information I got was that my risk was slightly higher than a person who had not had BC before, but the two don't have a strong link at this point.  I don't think that BRCA plays any role for CRC either (as of what is currently known.)  

paradiju,  Many people over 50 just randomly start to grow polyps in their colons.  For the garden variety of CRC, like adenocarcinoma, it takes about 10 years for a cell to go through the mutations from simply being abnormal to being full blown CRC.  After 50, it IS wise to just let the c-scope take a look and if any polyps are in there, let them snip them right off before they reach the cancer stage.  The saying is "Not all polyps are cancer, but all [CRC] cancers begin as polyps."   Yes, the prep is not fun.  Yes, the endoscopy is invasive.  Well, please believe me that having CRC is a whole lot worse than all of that.  If you are lucky, nothing at all will be found and you are good for another 10 years AND have peace of mind.  BTW, after the c-scope, you would think your butt would feel violated but the big surprise is that you feel very normal afterward.  Just hungry from the fasting for the prep.  Secondly, if the invasiveness is just something you can't get over, then DO ask the doc for the (take-home) Fecal Occult Blood Test. 

vmarie,  If nothing at all was seen on your endoscopy, and you don't have family history of CRC, I do not know why you would be asked back any sooner than 10 years.  I have not heard anything about BC making people have to get colonoscopies at a more frequent interval.  IF you manage to grow even one polyp, they will ask you back in 5 years, but not if nothing at all was found.  Other than making a buck, I'd like to know why your doc made that call.

I have been through the wringer with BC.  Then, through an even worse ringer with CRC.   Since I may not check back on this thread, if there is something specific I can help anyone with, get in touch with a PM. 

Jan 2, 2014 10:13PM mizmarie wrote:

Hi Everyone,

I also have had both BC and CRC.  In fact, it was exactly 2 years ago today that I had emergency surgery to remove 18" of colon barely  3 weeks after my last chemo for BC.  The abdominal pain I had experienced off and on throughout chemo suddenly became unbearable - I went to the ER and a CT scan revealed a whopping 6 cm tumor that was almost complete obstructing my colon.  I had already had BRCA testing done, which was negative.  I also had genetic testing done on the colon tumor; again, no genetic abnormalities found.  I had oncotype testing done also, as the pathology of my tumor was on the bubble in terms of whether chemo would be beneficial.  All that to say that my MO said theremay be a link between BC and CRC; he didn't indicate which one leads to the other.  In my case, given the size of my colon tumor, it clearly was established long before the breast tumor came along.  I was 48 at time of dx, not old enough for routine screening.

I've since had two colonoscopies, and as others have said, after what we've been through with breast cancer, a colonoscopy is no big deal.  The prep is the worst part - I slept through the procedure itself and don't remember a thing.

Feb 5, 2014 03:52PM lala1 wrote:

I just had a colonoscopy today (easy, peasy with a lovely nap!) and was told all clear, no polyps but because of my BC history I must return every 5 years due to slight increased risk.

Sep 24, 2014 08:55PM hopeful82014 wrote:

I had my first colonoscopy 4 years ago - no family history, no inkling of risk. I had a large polyp of a type that is poorly understood but known to become cancerous. Due to its size, I was told to return in 3 years, which I did. At that point I had 3 more large polyps of the same type. 

Had I waited for symptoms, family history, etc., I'd still be waiting and probably be facing something worse than a colonoscopy down the road. 

I dreaded the first one for so many reasons but found it all much easier to take than expect. The 2nd one was even easier. I wouldn't hesitate a moment to schedule the next one. The sneaky thing about colon cancer is that you just don't feel a THING until it's cancerous rather than per-cancerous. The really good thing about it is that you CAN have any polyps removed so easily with such minimal risk that it's highly preventable. Even better, under the ACA it's now required to be covered by insurers. 

Everyone's free to make their own decision, of course, but I really don't think there's marketing hype involved.

Dec 9, 2014 02:56AM april25 wrote:

My aunt had breast cancer in her 60s, then colon cancer in her 70's. No idea if it's related, but it could have been!

Because she had colon cancer and my dad (her brother) had colon cancer in his 70's, I've had two colonoscopies (I'm 58), that was pre-bc dx.

Colonoscopy is a breeze. The prep means you can't eat and have to drink this stuff that clears you out so they actually see your colon... It's not fun, but not hard to do. Colonoscopy itself was easy. You go like down on the table, fall asleep, wake up feeling a bit woozy from the anesthesia (twilight, not full, usually). My butt felt fine. In fact, it felt better than the night before when all the toilet visits was making it a bit sore! Yeah, TMI!!!

But really, I'd encourage people to just do it. They can snip off polyps and then test them easily. Nothing was painful or hurt at all. It was quick, although maybe you'd need a day off just to get everything done.