Should You Be Tested for Colorectal Cancer?
Should You Be Tested for Colorectal Cancer?
Several options for screening are available, and should be discussed with your physician. A fecal occult blood test (FOBT) is recommended every year. A FOBT is used to examine stool for traces of blood that cannot be seen with the naked eye. This test can be taken at home and may detect bleeding from almost anywhere in the digestive tract, including polyps.
Every five years a flexible sigmoidoscopy is recommended in addition to the FOBT. A sigmoidoscopy is a way for a doctor to examine the last one third of the large intestine, which includes the rectum and sigmoid colon. A flexible viewing tube with a lens and light source on the end, called a sigmoidoscope, is used. Looking through the eyepiece at the other end of the scope, the doctor can see the inside of the colon. In this test, the doctor can check for cancer, abnormal growths (polyps) and ulcers.
One alternative to the flexible sigmoidoscopy is the double-contrast barium enema. A barium enema (also called a lower gastrointestinal series) is a special type of X-ray that uses barium sulfate and air to outline the lining of the rectum and colon. A barium enema can be performed as an outpatient procedure, and usually takes about 45 minutes. The enema might be uncomfortable, but the X-rays are completely painless.
A colonoscopy is recommended every ten years, or as a follow-up if any blood, polyps or abnormalities are found during any of the tests above. During a colonoscopy, a physician can examine the inside of the colon beyond the areas a sigmoidoscopy can reach. The colonoscopy procedure can take up to 1 1/2 hours and is performed in a hospital as an outpatient procedure with sedation. An attachment at the end of the colonoscope may be used to take a biopsy of the tissue in the colon. If a polyp is found, it may be removed and both biopsies and polyps will be sent to a laboratory for further testing.
People under the age of 50 who have a family history of colorectal cancer, inflammatory bowel disease, a personal history of cancerous growths or adenomatous polyps, or hereditary syndromes such as familial adenomatous polyposis should also be screened for colorectal cancer at their physician's discretion.
Colorectal Cancer Screening for People Over Age 50 Regular screening should include one of the following options:
FOBT every year.
Sigmoidoscopy every 5 years.
FOBT and sigmoidoscopy every 5 years.
Double-contrast barium enema every 5 years.
Colonoscopy every 10 years.
Every five years a flexible sigmoidoscopy is recommended in addition to the FOBT. A sigmoidoscopy is a way for a doctor to examine the last one third of the large intestine, which includes the rectum and sigmoid colon. A flexible viewing tube with a lens and light source on the end, called a sigmoidoscope, is used. Looking through the eyepiece at the other end of the scope, the doctor can see the inside of the colon. In this test, the doctor can check for cancer, abnormal growths (polyps) and ulcers.
One alternative to the flexible sigmoidoscopy is the double-contrast barium enema. A barium enema (also called a lower gastrointestinal series) is a special type of X-ray that uses barium sulfate and air to outline the lining of the rectum and colon. A barium enema can be performed as an outpatient procedure, and usually takes about 45 minutes. The enema might be uncomfortable, but the X-rays are completely painless.
A colonoscopy is recommended every ten years, or as a follow-up if any blood, polyps or abnormalities are found during any of the tests above. During a colonoscopy, a physician can examine the inside of the colon beyond the areas a sigmoidoscopy can reach. The colonoscopy procedure can take up to 1 1/2 hours and is performed in a hospital as an outpatient procedure with sedation. An attachment at the end of the colonoscope may be used to take a biopsy of the tissue in the colon. If a polyp is found, it may be removed and both biopsies and polyps will be sent to a laboratory for further testing.
People under the age of 50 who have a family history of colorectal cancer, inflammatory bowel disease, a personal history of cancerous growths or adenomatous polyps, or hereditary syndromes such as familial adenomatous polyposis should also be screened for colorectal cancer at their physician's discretion.
Colorectal Cancer Screening for People Over Age 50 Regular screening should include one of the following options:
FOBT every year.
Sigmoidoscopy every 5 years.
FOBT and sigmoidoscopy every 5 years.
Double-contrast barium enema every 5 years.
Colonoscopy every 10 years.
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