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Florida
Hospital Digestive Health Center and Florida Hospital Cancer
Institute
Leading the Fight Against Colorectal Cancer
Colorectal
Cancer Screening
 Can
I protect myself from colorectal cancer?
To work toward cancer prevention, you can choose to live a
healthy lifestyle that includes regular exercise, maintaining
a healthy weight, and a diet that is low in fat and high in
fiber, vegetables and fruit.
Going
to the doctor so he or she can check the colon for polyps
and cancer is the next important step. Screening recommendations
depend upon an individual's risk of colorectal cancer. The
goal is to identify people at high risk of developing colon
cancer and screen them earlier than the general population.
The Florida
Hospital Digestive Health Center works closely with the Florida
Hospital Cancer Institute (FHCI) to increase awareness of
the importance of routine screenings for colorectal cancer.
Screenings, such as the following, can find colorectal cancer
early, when treatment can be very effective:
Fecal
Occult Blood Test
A test that is used to check for blood in the stool. Cancers
or polyps can bleed, and this test is used to detect small
amounts of bleeding.
Digital
rectal exam
An exam in which the doctor feels for abnormal areas by inserting
a lubricated, gloved finger into the rectum.
Sigmoidoscopy
An examination of the lower colon and rectum using a lighted
instrument called a sigmoidoscope.
Double
Contrast Barium Enema
An X-ray series of the colon and rectum. The enema is given
with a solution that contains barium that outlines the colon
and rectum on X-rays.
Colonoscopy
An examination of the rectum and the entire colon using a
lighted instrument called a colonoscope.
Screening
Recommendations
The Florida Hospital Digestive Health Center and Florida Hospital
Cancer Institute encourage you to follow these screening recommendations:
Average-risk
individuals (age 50+ without any symptoms; colorectal cancer
in non-first degree relatives):
- Baseline
colonoscopy at age 50
- Fecal
occult blood test performed once a year beginning at age
50
- Flexible
sigmoidoscopy performed every five years beginning at age
50
- Double
contrast barium enema (DCBE) every five years, or colonoscopy
every 10 years starting at age 50
Rectal
bleeding should not be presumed to be hemorrhoids until other
causes are ruled out. Patients with unexplained rectal bleeding
require a diagnostic work up, including colonoscopy or sigmoidoscopy,
and double contrast barium enema.
Talk
to your family to see if anyone has had polyps or cancer in
the colon, rectum, uterus, breast or any gland. If so, you
may be at higher risk for colorectal cancer.
Call
1-866-888-0866 for more information about the nationally ranked
Florida Hospital Digestive Health Center.
1-866-888-0866
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