Colorectal Services
What Is Colorectal Cancer?
Colon and rectal cancer (also known as colorectal cancer or bowel cancer) is a type of gastrointestinal cancer. It tends to grow slowly, usually starting as growths (polyps) in the colon.
Talk to your doctor if you experience any of these issues, as they could be a sign of bowel disease:
- Change in bowel habits
- Rectal bleeding or bloody stool
- Persistent abdominal pain or bloating
- Unexplained weight loss
Colon Cancer Screening: Colonoscopy
Routine screening colonoscopies are the best way to detect cancer or precancerous polyps. When we find and treat colorectal cancer in its early stages, before it spreads to other parts of the body, survival rates are excellent.
A colonoscopy is an endoscopic procedure that requires sedation. A gastroenterologist uses a thin tube with a video camera at one end (colonoscope) to examine your colon and rectum. In some cases, we can remove precancerous polyps during a colonoscopy.
Colorectal Cancer Diagnosis
If we suspect you have colorectal cancer, we may perform additional tests using endoscopic technology. Endoscopic ultrasound or flexible sigmoidoscopy are minimally invasive examinations that use an endoscope (thin tube) to examine the colon and rectum.
Colorectal Cancer Treatment
We may recommend a combination of medical oncology (chemotherapy or immunotherapy), radiation therapy and surgery to treat colorectal cancer.