Colon Cancer Screening in Louisiana

Any of the following tests could be used for a colorectal cancer screening at GastroGroup & Endocenter:

• Flexible sigmoidoscopy: A sigmoidoscopy is a tool that shows the inside of the rectum and lower colon. A finger size tube with a camera attached (called a sigmoidoscope) enters the rectum and images are taken of the inside wall and part of the colon. It might also be used to take a biopsy of the polyp or tumor and getting rid of some polyps. However, a colonoscopy needs to be completed to see the whole colon and remove all tumors or polyps. It is relatively safe but there is a minimal chance of the bowel tearing, bleeding, and infection.

• Colonoscopy: A colonoscope is similar to sigmoidoscope, but it is longer and used to examine the inner wall of the entire colon. The colonoscope is inserted through the rectum. Our GI doctor can see a full view of the colon on our computer system. Specific tools may be introduced into the colonoscope to complete the biopsy and extract polyps. Some form of sedation is required. There is a slight chance of bowel tears, bleeding, and/or infection due to the procedure.

• Virtual colonoscopy: This is a computed tomography scan of the colon. You will be asked to lie on the table where our CT scanner will take cross-section images of your colon. This is a noninvasive treatment and doesn't require any sedation. If any abnormalities are detected, a colonoscopy needs to be performed to extract the polyps or tumors.

• Double-contrast barium enema: A thin tube is inserted into your rectum with barium sulfate (a liquid that is white and chalky), and air is pumped into your colon. The barium suspension will line the outer walls of your colon. X-rays of the colon will then be taken to showcase abnormalities on the inner wall of your colon. If abnormalities are found, a colonoscopy needs to be done to remove the tumors or polyps.

• Fecal test: Fecal tests are performed with the fecal sample and are totally safe. These tests might not provide confirmation of but could suggest abnormalities in your GI tract, necessitating more testing. A colonoscopy will need to be repeated if your results are positive, suggesting cancerous growths in the colon.

Our Louisiana gastroenterologists offer three types of fecal tests:

• Fecal occult blood tests detect blood in your feces not visible to normal eyes through a chemical reaction.
• Fecal immunochemical tests detect blood through a immunochemical reaction of protein. This reaction finds hidden blood in the stool.
• Stool DNA tests look for specific abnormal/irregular DNA genes from the cells shed from cancerous growths or polyps in a stool sample.