Posted on February 1, 2010.
Colon Cancer Screening 101 So why is colon cancer screening so important? Since the colon or large intestine or colon, including the final phase of the digestive tract, it stores food from the small intestine that is not digestible. This forms toxins on the walls of the colon that can cause problems such as constipation. Toxins may contain parasites that can cause diseases to form in the body.
Colon cancer is a malignant tumor that forms from the inner wall of the large intestine. The tumor that attacks nearby, and spread to other parts of the body. Polyps are benign, meaning they do not contain cancer. They threaten the lives and can easily be removed. They may become cancerous if not paid timely.
One type of screening method for colon cancer is occult blood in stools, which are chemical based and carried out on samples of stool to occult blood - amounts so small they can not be seen by the naked eye alone. The verification tests in three different specimens. If the test is positive, the patient should do a colonoscopy to check for abnormalities.
If any abnormality is found, the next step is an examination of the stomach and small intestine to see if they are potential sources of bleeding. There is also a control called flexible sigmoidoscopy, which uses a fiber-optic tube display that uses light at its end. This method looks at the rectum and colon that is closest to the rectum. Approximately half of colorectal cancers and polyps are found near the display area of the sigmoidoscope.
Modern technology allows for virtual colonoscopy. This screening procedure for colon cancer using images of the colon that are like views collected during a colonoscopy. A scanner is used to produce images in two dimensions instead of having a direct view of the colonoscope.