Rochester Gastroenterology Associates in Rochester, NY, perform colon cancer screenings for patients of all ages concerned about colon cancer. Colon cancer screenings can save lives by identifying signs of cancer before you even experience symptoms.

Your Rochester, NY, gastroenterologists screen for colon cancer to save lives. Screening tests can identify precancerous polyps and prevent colon cancer. The CDC recommends screening tests once a year for everyone past the age of 50. If you have a family history of the disease, your doctor may recommend starting yearly screenings sooner.

One screening test involves the examination of a stool sample, which can be done every year. Your doctors are looking for blood in the stool which can be a sign of cancer. Another test called a flexible sigmoidoscopy involves inserting a flexible tube with a light into the rectum to inspect the rectum and colon. Your doctor may recommend this every five to 10 years. The most well-known screening test for colon cancer is a colonoscopy.

A colonoscopy is an outpatient procedure that can identify cancer and precancerous polyps in the colon. The procedure involves inserting a small flexible tube into the rectum to look into the rectum and colon, looking for irregularities in the tissues. The patient is sedated during this procedure. Colonoscopies are only recommended every 10 years if you're not at an elevated risk for the disease. It is a more invasive screening, but precancerous polyps can actually be removed as they are detected during the colonoscopy.

Colonoscopies aren't recommended as often but you can still be screened for colon cancer every year. Colon cancer affects an equal amount of men and women, but almost ninety percent of cases are in patients over the age of 50. Colon cancer screenings can find signs of cancer before a patient is feeling any symptoms, which is why yearly screenings are so important past a certain age.

Rochester Gastroenterology Associates save lives with colon cancer screenings in Rochester, NY. Call our Linden Oaks location at (585) 267-4040 and our Canal Landing location at (585) 227-1080.