Colorectal Screening

Col­orec­tal can­cer screen­ings are a safe and proven way to find col­orec­tal can­cer or colon-relat­ed con­di­tions in your body ear­ly enough so that time­ly treat­ment can improve your health. That’s why it’s impor­tant to get them done on time even if you don’t have symptoms.

Col­orec­tal can­cer is one of the most pre­ventable types of can­cer. Your risk for col­orec­tal can­cer gets high­er as you age. A vari­ety of screen­ing tests are rec­om­mend­ed for dif­fer­ent rea­sons, but all of them high­ly reduce your chances of devel­op­ing a more seri­ous-staged cancer.

You and your provider can work togeth­er to keep you healthy by:

  • Com­plet­ing reg­u­lar screenings.
  • Lim­it­ing alco­hol and tobac­co use.
  • Eat­ing healthy: less fat­ty foods and more pro­teins, fruits, and vegetables.
  • Exer­cis­ing through­out the week…even if it’s tak­ing a fast walk!
  • Main­tain­ing a healthy weight. Dis­cuss your ide­al weight with your doctor.

What is screening?

  • Screen­ing is look­ing for can­cer before a per­son has any symp­toms. This can help find can­cer at an ear­ly stage. When abnor­mal tis­sue or can­cer is found ear­ly, it may be eas­i­er to treat. By the time symp­toms appear, can­cer may have begun to spread. 
  • It is impor­tant to remem­ber that your doc­tor does not nec­es­sar­i­ly think you have can­cer if he or she sug­gests a screen­ing test. Screen­ing tests are giv­en when you have no can­cer symp­toms. Screen­ing tests may be repeat­ed on a reg­u­lar basis.

Learn about the dif­fer­ent screen­ing options below:

  1. Colonoscopy — Colonoscopy is the gold stan­dard of find­ing and detect­ing col­orec­tal can­cer. This pro­ce­dure is safe and effec­tive. It allows your doc­tor to look for and remove growths that could devel­op into can­cer and spread to oth­er parts of your body. It is impor­tant to note that should you have a pos­i­tive result, a colonoscopy will be rec­om­mend­ed. Often, these fol­low-up colono­scopies are not cov­ered as well as the screen­ing colonoscopy.
    1. Reduce like­li­hood of can­cer developing
    2. Increase your sur­vival rate if can­cer is detected
    3. Are cov­ered by insur­ance and/​or Medicare
  2. Colo­guard® - Colo­guard® is an at-home col­orec­tal can­cer screen­ing test. It is best for those at aver­age risk of devel­op­ing this type of can­cer. You’ll receive a kit with every­thing you need to col­lect a stool sam­ple with min­i­mal con­tact with your stool.
  3. FIT Test — A FIT test is an at-home test that looks for blood in your bow­els (stool or poop), which can be a symp­tom of can­cer and oth­er health issues. It is best for those at aver­age risk of devel­op­ing this type of can­cer. You’ll receive a kit with every­thing you need to col­lect a stool sam­ple with min­i­mal con­tact with your stool.

Take charge of your health and sched­ule your screen­ing colonoscopy today by call­ing 630−717−2600.