Information On Colorectal Screening Methods

After lung cancer, colorectal cancer is the next most deadly cancer. So timely screening is a must to examine, detect health hazards prior to its symptoms. Hence, colorectal screenings may help you detect polyps that can become cancerous in future. You may also discover any cancer in its initial stages that might spread to other body parts in its later stages.

So, if any of your screenings reveal such abnormality or health hazard, you should seek treatment to cure it. Finding polyps and treating them as early as possible is one of the best ways to prevent colorectal cancer. Hence, it is important to get regular colorectal screenings done after every few years to stay safe and healthy.

There are many methods of colorectal screenings that are suggested by healthcare providers for prevention or an early detection of colorectal cancer. The foremost method is colonoscopy. It employs an instrument named colonoscope to examine the entire colon and the rectum. In this method, you can easily find out cancerous and precancerous growth inside the colon and in colon's upper part. However, the colon's upper part is usually missed in sigmoidoscopy. Nonetheless, puncturing and bleeding of colon lining are the risks that a patient may have to undergo in a few rare cases.

The next method is the flexible sigmoidoscopy. A flexible and hollow tube is inserted into the rectum with light tied to its end. A small video camera is connected with the tube. Hence doctors view polyps present in the lower colon and the rectum, if any.

Fecal Occult Blood Test is another method of colorectal screening. This test involves checking your stool for blood, which is otherwise not noticeable. In case the blood is discovered, the doctor then advises another test to find a cancer, polyp, or any other reason for bleeding.

It is advisable not to eat horseradish, raw vegetables, aspirin, iron supplement and red meat from at least two days prior to this test. This is because these food items at times turn the result of the test to positive, while it should be negative. A few medications such as hemorrhoids should also be avoided.

Digital rectal exam is a less painful method for the same. The doctor inserts his gloved finger into the patient's rectum to find any polyps growth. It is advisable to combine this test with some other screening test as well as below 10 per cent colorectal cancers are discovered by this test individually.

Last but not least, is the double contrast barium enema. This is actually the X-ray series for the whole rectum and colon. Barium solution and enema is given to the patient before the X-rays and as air is released inside the colon. Air and barium aids in defining the colon outline on X-rays.

So, doctors generally recommend any of these colorectal screening tests to prevent the development of cancerous polyps. You only need to take an initiative to approach a doctor for screening regularly after every 10 years for an average individual.

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