Colon Cancer Screening in Ocean Springs, MS

It is important to discuss with your Digestive Health Center provider when you should go in for a screening and what tests should be done. The tests listed below may be used for a colon cancer screening:

• Flexible sigmoidoscopy: A sigmoidoscopy will be used to examine the inside of the lower colon and rectum. A tube about the size of a finger with a camera (called a sigmoidoscope) is inserted through the rectum so we can get images of the inner wall and a portion of the colon. It might also be used for taking a biopsy of the polyp or tumor as well as getting rid of some polyps. However, a colonoscopy will need to be completed to view all of the colon and remove all polyps and tumors. This procedure is relatively safe but has a minimal risk of a bowel tear, bleeding, and infection.

• Colonoscopy: A colonoscope is like a sigmoidoscope, but it is longer and is used to examine the inner wall of the whole colon. It is placed into the rectum, and your 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 is required. There is a slight risk of bowel tears, bleeding, and/or infection occurring after the procedure.

• Virtual colonoscopy: This is a computed tomography scan of your colon. The person is asked to lie on the table where our CT scanner will take cross-section images of the colon. It is a noninvasive treatment and doesn't require you to be sedated. A colonoscopy must be performed to extract the tumors or polyps if abnormalities are detected.

• Double-contrast barium enema: A little tube is inserted into your rectum, and barium sulfate, or a chalky white liquid, and air will be pumped into the colon. The barium suspension lines the outer walls of the colon. X-rays of your colon will then be taken to identify abnormalities on the inner wall of your colon. A colonoscopy must be done to remove the tumors or polyps if any abnormalities are identified.

• Fecal test: Fecal tests are completed with the fecal sample and are totally safe. These tests may not give confirmatory results but may suggest abnormalities in your GI tract, calling for further tests. A colonoscopy should be performed if your results are positive, indicating cancerous growths within the colon.

Our Ocean Springs, MS gastroenterologists perform three various types of fecal tests:

• Fecal occult blood tests detect blood in your feces that isn't visible to normal eyes through a chemical reaction.
• Fecal immunochemical tests that detect blood through a specific immunochemical reaction of protein in your blood and can find nonvisible blood.
• Stool DNA tests identify specific abnormal or irregular DNA genes from the cells discarded from cancerous outgrowth or polyps in a stool sample.