Colon Cancer Screening

Colon cancer is the second leading cause of cancer death in the United States. However, when caught early, treatment for colon cancer can lead to a full recovery. Gastrointestinal Diagnostic Centers in Pembroke Pines, Florida, provides colon cancer screening to help you stay on top of your health. The board-certified gastroenterologist Peter S. Yotseff, MD, performs the screening and talks to you about your results. To schedule your colon cancer screening, call the office or book online today.

What is colon cancer?

Colon cancer is a type of cancer that begins in the colon. Your colon is part of your large intestine and absorbs fluid and remaining nutrients from food waste after it leaves the small intestine. 

Colon cancer often develops from polyps, benign growths that form on the wall of the intestinal lining. Finding and removing these growths may lower your risk of colon cancer. 

Colorectal cancer refers to cancers that affect the colon and rectum. The rectum is part of your large intestine and holds stool before you eliminate it from your body. Rectal cancer also usually results from a polyp.

What is colon cancer screening?

Colon cancer screening is a test that checks for colon cancer before you have symptoms. Finding colon cancer, or precancerous polyps, during the early stages improves your chances of a full recovery.

Colon cancer is common and deadly when left undiagnosed and untreated. Colon cancer screening saves lives. 

When do I need colon cancer screening?

Your primary care provider or gastroenterologist at Gastrointestinal Diagnostic Centers tells you when you need colon cancer screening. Most people start colon cancer screening at age 45. 

However, you may need to start screenings at an earlier age if you have a family history of colon cancer, personal history of polyps or colon cancer, or an inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) such as ulcerative colitis (UC) or Crohn’s disease.

What happens during colon cancer screening?

Health care providers use many tools for colon cancer screenings. At the Gastrointestinal Diagnostic Centers, the gastroenterologists perform colonoscopy to screen for colon cancer. This is the gold standard test for colon cancer screening. 

During a colonoscopy, your gastroenterologist uses a colonoscope to examine the lining of your large intestine, looking for polyps and other tissue abnormalities, removing polyps, and taking tissue samples where appropriate.

Your gastroenterologist sends the tissue samples to the pathology lab for evaluation. If your colonoscopy results are negative, you need to repeat your colon cancer screening every 10 years. 

For other colon cancer screening tests, such as fecal tests or sigmoidoscopy, you may need more frequent screenings. 

If your colonoscopy results are positive, your gastroenterologist at Gastrointestinal Diagnostic Centers can talk to you about the next steps for testing and care. 

Don’t delay your colon cancer screening; call the Gastrointestinal Diagnostic Centers or schedule an appointment online today.