Many people put off a colonoscopy out of fear of discomfort, or simply not understanding that the relatively painless procedure can prevent cancer. On this week’s Toward A Cancer-Free World segment, 10TV’s Tracy Townsend sat down with Darrell M. Gray II, MD, MPH, a gastroenterologist at The Ohio State University Comprehensive Cancer Center - James Cancer Hospital and Solove Research Institute. Dr. Gray advocates for getting screened, and wants to break the stigma surrounding colonoscopies. “By getting a colonoscopy, we can prevent cancer and save lives,” Dr. Gray said. He acknowledges that people have many reasons for not getting colonoscopies. “Sometimes I hear people say, ‘Well, if you go looking for something, you may find something.’” Gray said. “Other times, it's a machismo: ‘I don't want anything in my behind.’ And other times, people will get concerned — without knowing that insurance will cover this procedure — that it could be expensive.” That doesn’t mean everyone should pick up the phone to make a colonoscopy appointment right away — Dr. Gray says most people, who are at an average risk of colorectal cancer, can start screening at age 50. That age can vary for others based on a few factors, though. “The American College of Gastroenterology recommends that African Americans start at age 45 getting screened,” Dr. Gray said. “Additionally, those who have a first-degree relative with colorectal cancer — mother, father, brother, sister — they need to actually come in earlier.  So it's important that they talk to their doctor about their risk, their family history, and when they need to come in.” So what exactly happens when a patient comes in for a colonoscopy? Dr. Gray says it’s “most often a brief and painless procedure,” and they can expect to be comfortable during the procedure — usually, they’ll be asleep. “We take what we call a colonoscope, which is a very long, flexible instrument, and look throughout the colon. And in a colorectal cancer screening, we'll look for polyps,” Dr. Gray said. Polyps are growths of tissue that can line the colon, and can potentially lead to cancer. If those are detected during a colonoscopy, the doctor will remove them, which Dr. Gray says the patient does not feel, and there’s typically no side effect from removing them. “Typically, we remove the polyp in its entirety, and based on what the pathology shows, that dictates when they need to come back and see us again,” he said. “Let’s say they have one small precancerous polyp, they'll come back in five years, as opposed to somebody who may have a very large one, and they'll come back in three years.” If the doctor detects cancer, the patient will come back and see an oncologist to discuss treatment options for their cancer based in the stage of the cancer, Dr. Gray said. Overall, Dr. Gray drives a message of how important colonoscopies are for preventing and detecting cancer. “Colonoscopies can save lives,” he said. “Colon cancer is the third-most frequently diagnosed cancer and the third-leading cause of cancer-related death. And we know that there's no routine colon cancer. So by getting a colonoscopy, we can prevent cancer, and we can save lives.”