Hi
57 yr old male. Have had several colonoscopies since 40s only because my dad had diverticulitis. Last scope was done 4 yrs ago. All normal, no polyps, no sign of disease. In the last 4-6 months I have developed IBS-like symptoms with narrowing stools, change in bowel frequency, urgency and consistency. No blood in stools, no fever. I am an anxious person in general. Cannot link to diet directly. Had an abdominal u/sound 1 month ago on GP's request; all normal other than a moderately fatty liver. All blood work normal, liver enzymes, lipids etc. Rx-wise, on pantaloc for many years and started Crestor for lipid management around the time these gastro symptoms started.
I want to believe that I can rule out colon cancer as a diagnosis based on the fact that 4 yrs ago there were no issues with my colonoscopy. I am scheduled to see my GP for another follow up on this issue. In the meantime, can anyone shed some light on how reliable a colonoscopy is in detecting colon cancer? I thought this was the gold standard and the American Cancer Society recommends screening every 10 yrs. I have it done every 5 yrs. Should I be concerned that the GI symptoms I described could be cancer of the colon?
Many thanks