Cancer is a major cause of illness and death worldwide, and here at Manhattan Primary Care, our primary care physicians NYC focus is on prevention and prompt detection. Initially, cancer can cause few, if any symptoms, and our goal is to check for early signs of cancers, when the disease is frequently more treatable and which allows for a better long-term prognosis. A screening will check your body for cancer, sometimes before you develop symptoms.
Regular cancer screenings can find colorectal, cervical, breast, prostate, and lung cancers early when treatment can be more effective and potentially less invasive.
Colorectal Cancer Screening
Usually, colorectal cancer develops from small polyps found in the colon or rectum. Regular screening can detect these polyps, removing them before they become cancerous. Regular screenings usually begin at age 50, but some people might benefit from earlier screenings.
You might need to be tested earlier if you have a family history of:
Colorectal cancer
Inflammatory bowel disease
Genetic syndrome that increases your risk
Colorectal Screening Tests
There are several colorectal cancer screening tests, and stool tests to detect signs of blood and which are usually carried out yearly. Other tests, such a colonoscopy or flexible sigmoidoscopy, use a lighted tube to examine the colon visually and to remove any polyps detected.
CT colonoscopy uses a CT scan to produce virtual images of the entire colon.