Colon Cancer Screening in Denver, CO

Patients should have a discussion with their GI provider at Denver Digestive Health Specialists regarding when they should go to a colon cancer screening and what tests to have. One or more of the following tests may be suggested for a colorectal cancer screening:

• Flexible sigmoidoscopy: A sigmoidoscopy will be used to view the inner rectum and lower colon. A finger-sized tube that has a camera (called a sigmoidoscope) is inserted through the rectum so we can take images of the inside wall and a portion of the colon. The sigmoidoscopy can be used to take a biopsy of the tumor or polyp and also remove some polyps. But a colonoscopy will need to be done to view all of the colon and remove all tumors and polyps. This procedure is fairly safe but has a small chance of a bowel tear, bleeding, and infection.

• Colonoscopy: A colonoscope is similar to a sigmoidoscope, but it is longer and used to examine the inner wall of the whole colon. The colonoscope is put in through your rectum and the provider can see a full view of the colon on our computer system. GI tools will be passed through the colonoscope to complete the biopsy and extract polyps. Sedation will be required. There is a slight risk of bowel tearing, bleeding, and infection due to the procedure.

• Virtual colonoscopy: This is a CT scan of your colon. You will be asked to lie on our treatment table where the CT scanner will take cross-section images of the colon. It is a noninvasive treatment and does not call for you to be sedated. If we find any abnormalities, a colonoscopy will have to be done to remove the polyps or tumors.

• Double-contrast barium enema: A small tube is placed into your rectum and barium sulfate, which is a chalky white liquid, and air will be pumped into your colon. The barium suspension lines the outer walls of the colon. X-ray images of the colon will then be taken to show any abnormalities on the inner wall of your colon. If abnormalities are found, a colonoscopy needs to be done to remove the polyps or tumors.

• Fecal test: Fecal tests are completed with a fecal sample and are totally safe. Fecal tests may not provide confirmation of, but might suggest, abnormalities in the gastrointestinal tract, warranting more testing. A colonoscopy needs to be repeated if results are positive, indicating cancerous growth in the colon.

Our Denver, CO gastroenterologists conduct three types of fecal tests:

• Fecal occult blood tests that can detect blood in the feces not visible to normal eyes through a chemical reaction.
• Fecal immunochemical tests that detect blood through a certain immunochemical reaction of protein in the blood and are often able to find hidden blood.
• Stool DNA tests identify certain abnormal/irregular DNA genes from the cells discarded from cancerous outgrowth or polyps in the stool sample.