The two siblings are both gastroenterologists at Intermountain McKay-Dee Hospital and Intermountain Layton Hospital, and because they have a family history of colon cancer, they meet up in the hospital’s gastroenterology unit to make sure they’re both clean from the disease.

“We’re five years apart and have always been close,” said Kyle Eliason. “Several years ago, he had liver disease, so I gave him half of my liver. He also has ulcerative colitis, so he decided to go into medicine and specialize in gastroenterology. Because of his experiences, I decided to follow in his footsteps.”

Eliason recently had a colonoscopy performed by his brother, Eric. It was his third screening test.

“I got my first colonoscopy when I was 38. The last two I had, he found precancerous polyps and removed them, but this time there were no polyps and I’m 44 now,” he said. “Because we have a family history, I go in more often, which is the recommendation we need to all be following.”

Both brothers said most people still think screening colonoscopies should begin at age 50, but those recommendations recently changed to age 45.

“We’re seeing an increase in young people with colon cancer,” Eric Eliason said. “Part of the reason for the increase is dietary factors, a sedentary lifestyle, smoking and obesity. I wouldn’t be surprised if the recommended age for a first colonoscopy is lowered to age 40 in the next 20 years. There’s still a great number of people between the age of 45 and 50 who have never had a screening colonoscopy.”

Kyle Eliason also said there has been increased evidence linking energy drinks to colon cancer.

“Energy drinks contain taurine, which is an amino acid and we’re finding it may be a contributing factor, but we still need to keep researching the possibility,” he said. “We really should be paying attention to our diets. We need to eat more fruits and vegetables and make sure we’re getting plenty of fiber.”

Both brothers said while many risk factors can be avoided, there are other people who have a genetic predisposition to the disease. In that case, they should be screened more often.

“If you have a family history, you should come in and get screened 10 years earlier than the time your relative was first diagnosed,” Eric Eliason said. “So, for instance, if your mother or father were diagnosed at age 45, you should start getting your colonoscopies at age 35.”

If you have no risk factors, you are good to get your first screening at age 45. If polyps are found, depending on the size and type of polyp, you may be asked to come back for another screening anytime between one and seven years, said the siblings.

“Colon cancer is the third most common cancer,” said Kyle Eliason, “and it’s the second leading cause of cancer-related deaths. About 150,000 people are diagnosed each year and out of those, around 50,000 will die.”

Eliason also said the lifetime risk of developing the cancer is 1 in 24 for men and 1 in 26 for women. If caught in its earliest stage, or stage one, colon cancer’s five-year survival rate is about 91%. By the time it reaches stage four, only 13% of people will survive.

Both brothers said polyps are small growths that can develop in the colon. Most are about four to six millimeters.

Symptoms of colon cancer can vary, but can include blood in the stool, abdominal discomfort, a change in bowel habits, fatigue, anemia and weight loss.

“A lot of people are hesitant to get a colonoscopy because of the prep,” Kyle Eliason said. “And I understand. It’s not fun, but there are three different options now. I’ve done the drink and it’s nasty. I just plugged my nose and drank it as fast as I could. This time I took the pills and it was much better. You take 12 pills the night before and 12 pills the next morning and you just drink as much water as possible.”

If you’re still hesitant to get a colonoscopy, Kyle Eliason said you can get a kit and use it at home. The test looks for abnormal DNA in your blood and stool and recommendations are made from those results. However, he said, a traditional colonoscopy is best.

“There are limitations to the kits,” he said. “About 14% have a false negative result and around an 18% false positive result. A colonoscopy is preferred because we can see the polyps and remove them and if cancer is there, we can diagnose it. I just can’t stress the importance enough. It’s only a couple of days out of your life every few years.”