An Overview on Colon Cancer Screening

Colorectal cancer is a disease that uncontrolled division of abnormal colon or rectum cells, resulting in a malignant tumor. You must know that the colon and rectum are parts of the digestive system of the body, which uses food and water nutrients and stores solid waste until the colon and rectum passes out).

In both men (after prostate and lung cancer) and in women (after breast and lung cancer), In the United States, it is the second leading cause of lung cancer death. In 2016, it will be diagnosed with colorectal cancer for an estimated 134,490 individuals in the United States, and the result is 49,190 deaths. Everything can be prevented and treated only by following on-time colon cancer screening.

Colon Cancer Screening

Doctors suggest certain tests to check for the symptoms of colon cancer or non cancerous polyps within healthy people without symptoms. The earliest stage of finding colon cancer offers the greatest opportunity for cure. It has been demonstrated that screening reduces your risk of colon cancer.

Doctors typically advise people with having potential risk for colon cancer to start examining at about 50 years of age. However, individuals with a greater risk, like those with colon cancer families should consider screening earlier.

There are several options for screening – each with its own advantages and disadvantages. Talk to your doctor about your colonoscopy screening options and decide together which tests are suitable. Polyps may be eliminated in the procedure before becoming cancer if a colonoscopy is used for testing.

Diagnosing the Colon Cancer

Colonoscopy

Your doctor would suggest one or more diagnosis and procedures if your signs and symptoms indicate you might develop colon cancer, including:

Use a scope (colonoscopy) to examine your colon. For colonoscopy, the doctor will be able to look at your entire rectum and colon through a long, flexible and lean pipe connected to a camera. If suspected areas have been found, the doctor can collect tissue samples for testing and removing polyps using surgical instruments through the tube (biopsies).

Blood Test

Blood tests cannot tell you whether you have colorectal cancer. Your physician can however suggest you for a blood test for clues of your general health, including tests of the liver and kidney function.

A chemical sometimes made by colon cancers (CEA or carcinoembryonic antigen) may also be tested in your blood. Checked over time, your doctor may comprehend the diagnosis and if your cancer will react to the treatment with the level of CEA in your blood.

Sigmoidoscopy

A sigmoidoscope, a flexible light tube with a lens to see and a tool to remove tissue are used to examine both the rectum and sigmoid colon. This is inserted into the rectum and sigmoid colon by pumping air in the colon (or carbon dioxide) for expansion so that the doctor can see the colon lining clearer. Abnormal rectal and sigmoid colon growth may be deleted for analysis (biopsied) during sigmoidoscopy. Before sigmoidoscopy the lower colon must be removed from stool, but it is much less extensive than required for colonoscopy. For this test, people are generally not sedated.

Studies showed that persons with sigmoidoscopic screenings after 50 years of age have 60 to 70% less risk of death from rectal cancer. One randomized controlled clinical trial revealed that even one sigmoidoscopic screening at age 55-64 could significantly reduce the incidence and death of colorectal cancer.

Double-Contrast Barium Enema

Another method for colonoscopy screening is this test, also called DCBE. In DCBE the enema with a barium solution is taken as a result of a series of x-ray images of the entire colon and rectum. The barium contributes to the colon and the rectum in the pictures. The DCBE is seldom used to detect small polyps and carcinomas as it is less sensitive than colonoscopy. It may however be used for people who are not subject to standard colonoscopy — because, for example, they are particularly at risk of complications.

Contact us at Digestive Disease Specialists Inc for colon cancer screening in OKC. It would help to determine and treat if you got polyps.

**Disclaimer: This blog content does not offer a doctor's advice and creates no relationship between any patient and care provider.