Subtitles section Play video
-
A colonoscopy has two main purposes:
-
One purpose is to check on certain symptoms
-
or conditions that your doctor would be concerned about.
-
The second purpose is to screen
-
your colon for colorectal cancer.
-
A colonoscopy can be used to see problems
-
in the colon in patients who have
-
a variety of serious symptoms.
-
Some of these symptoms can include:
-
- chronic diarrhea or unexplained changes in your bowel habits;
-
- bleeding from your rectum or anus;
-
- unexpected weight loss;
-
- iron deficiency anemia;
-
- or other symptoms.
-
If you show signs of any of these symptoms
-
you should talk to your doctor.
-
Colorectal cancer is one of the leading causes of death in the US.
-
Colonoscopies have proven to significantly decrease
-
the incidence of colorectal cancer.
-
If the lining of your colon contains polyps
-
there is a chance that these small growths of tissue
-
can turn into cancer.
-
A colonoscopy makes it very easy for your doctor to find
-
and remove these polyps early on
-
before they have a chance to become cancer.
-
During your colonoscopy,
-
your doctor will be able to remove polyps easily
-
using specialized tools.
-
These tools operate by cutting off polyps
-
from the lining of the colon wall
-
and removing them safely.
-
Removal of polyps is painless
-
since there are no nerves in the lining of the colon.
-
After a polyp is removed from your colon
-
it is sent to a lab for analysis by a trained doctor,
-
called a pathologist.
-
The lab results are very important
-
as they will inform you about
-
whether the tissue sample is benign (i.e., not cancerous)
-
or pre-cancerous.
-
If the tissue sample is pre-cancerous
-
you will need to meet with your doctor again.
-
There are two main categories of patient risk:
-
"Average" risk and "Increased" risk.
-
It is very important for you to understand
-
which category of risk you belong to.
-
If you are a healthy male or female,
-
age 50 or older,
-
you are considered to be an average risk patient.
-
In this category, it is recommended
-
that you get a screening colonoscopy
-
when you turn 50
-
since 90% of colon cancers occur after this age.
-
If the results from your previous colonoscopy return normal,
-
your next one can be done in another 10 years.
-
As long as no abnormal results are found along the way,
-
the same schedule can be followed up
-
until you are 75 years old.
-
A screening colonoscopy is the most useful test
-
for the detection of colon cancer.
-
However, your doctor may suggest a different test for you
-
depending on your own medical circumstance.
-
These other tests can be divided into three groups:
-
"stool based",
-
"direct visualization",
-
and "radiological".
-
Stool based tests include the guaiac-based fecal occult blood test (gFOBT),
-
fecal immunochemical test (FIT),
-
and stool DNA test.
-
Other test options include a flexible sigmoidoscopy,
-
which is an example of a direct visualization test.
-
A computed tomographic colonoscopy
-
is an example of a radiological test.
-
It is important to know that you will be asked
-
to have a complete colonoscopy
-
if any of these other tests are positive for cancer.
-
If you are in the group of patients
-
considered to have an "increased" risk of colon cancer,
-
it is suggested that you get a screening colonoscopy
-
before you reach 50 years old.
-
If you are a patient who has an increased risk,
-
you may need a colonoscopy more often
-
than patients who are in the “average” risk group.
-
Whichever group you belong to,
-
a colonoscopy is a procedure
-
that should be done several times
-
over your lifetime because polyps can reappear.
-
Depending on the types of polyps found in your colon,
-
some types have a higher chance of turning into cancer than others.
-
Hyperplastic polyps are a benign type of polyp
-
which means that they have very little chance of turning into cancer.
-
However, they still need to be removed
-
and examined under the microscope,
-
which will determine if these polyps are hyperplastic.
-
Even if you have hyperplastic polyps,
-
it is still very important to have a colonoscopy every 10 years.
-
Unlike hyperplastic polyps,
-
adenomas are a type of polyp
-
that have the potential to become cancer.
-
If adenomas are found
-
based on your colonoscopy results,
-
you will be asked to have additional screenings done
-
at shorter intervals of time,
-
depending on the size and number of adenomas found.
-
If you have had colon cancer before,
-
it is important to tell your doctor
-
since you will have a higher risk
-
of getting colon cancer again.
-
After colon cancer treatment,
-
your doctor may recommend
-
that you get another colonoscopy.
-
Having a family history of colon cancer
-
or adenoma-type polyps before you are 60 years old,
-
means that you will need a colonoscopy sooner
-
than the typical age.
-
You may also be asked to have a colonoscopy
-
earlier than the average risk person
-
if at least two first-degree relatives
-
(i.e., parents, full-siblings, or children)
-
or second-degree relatives
-
(i.e., grandparents, grandchildren, uncles,
-
aunts, nephews, or half-siblings)
-
have had colon cancer at any age.
-
In these cases, screening may begin at 40 years of age,
-
or as early as 10 years younger
-
than when the family member was diagnosed,
-
whichever happens first.
-
Certain conditions can lead you to have
-
a higher risk of colorectal cancer.
-
These can include Lynch syndrome,
-
which is an inherited genetic condition
-
that leads to an 80% risk of colon cancer
-
over your lifetime.
-
Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD)
-
involving the colon
-
and primary sclerosing cholangitis (PSC)
-
are other diseases that can increase
-
your risk of colon cancer.
-
If you have both IBD and PSC,
-
you have about a 30-fold higher risk
-
of developing colon cancer.
-
Colonoscopy is a powerful tool that your doctor can use
-
to greatly reduce and prevent your risk of colon cancer.
-
Talk to your doctor today about booking your colonoscopy.