Diagnosis and Staging of colorectal cancer
-If patient has the symptoms of colorectal cancer doctor must find out whether they are due to cancer or some other cause.
-Doctor may ask about the personal and family medical history of patient.
Physical exam and history
-An exam of the body to check general signs of health, including checking for signs of disease, such as lumps or anything else that seems unusual.
-A history of the patient’s health habits and past illnesses and treatments will also be taken.
-An exam of the rectum.
-The doctor inserts a lubricated, gloved finger into the rectum to feel for lumps or anything else that seems unusual.
-A test to check stool (solid waste) for blood that can only be seen with a microscope.
-Small samples of stool are placed on special cards and returned to the doctor or laboratory for testing.
-A series of x-rays of the lower gastrointestinal tract.
-A liquid that contains barium (a silver-white metallic compound) is put into the rectum.
-The barium coats the lower gastrointestinal tract and x-rays are taken.
-A procedure to look inside the rectum and sigmoid (lower) colon for polyps (small pieces of bulging tissue), abnormal areas, or cancer.
-A sigmoidoscope is inserted through the rectum into the sigmoid colon.
-A sigmoidoscope is a thin, tube-like instrument with a light and a lens for viewing. It may also have a tool to remove polyps or tissue samples, which are checked under a microscope for signs of cancer.
-Sigmoidoscopy. A thin, lighted tube is inserted through the anus and rectum and into the lower part of the colon to look for abnormal areas.
-A procedure to look inside the rectum and colon for polyps, abnormal areas, or cancer.
-A colonoscope is inserted through the rectum into the colon.
-A colonoscope is a thin, tube-like instrument with a light and a lens for viewing. It may also have a tool to remove polyps or tissue samples, which are checked under a microscope for signs of cancer
-Colonoscopy. A thin, lighted tube is inserted through the anus and rectum and into the colon to look for abnormal areas.
-A procedure that uses a series of x-rays called computed tomography to make a series of pictures of the colon.
-A computer puts the pictures together to create detailed images that may show polyps and anything else that seems unusual on the inside surface of the colon.
-The removal of cells or tissues so they can be viewed under a microscope by a pathologist to check for signs of cancer.
-If tests show an abnormal area (such as a polyp), a biopsy to check for cancer cells may be necessary. Often, the abnormal tissue can be removed during colonoscopy or sigmoidoscopy. A pathologist checks the tissue for cancer cells using a microscope.
-If the biopsy shows that cancer is present, doctor needs to know the extent (stage) of the disease to plan the best treatment.
-The stage is based on whether the tumor has invaded nearby tissues, whether the cancer has spread and, if so, to what parts of the body.
Blood tests: Doctor checks for Carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA) and other substances in the blood. Some people who have colorectal cancer or other conditions have a high CEA level.
Colonoscopy: If colonoscopy was not performed for diagnosis, doctor checks for abnormal areas along the entire length of the colon and rectum with a colonoscope.
Endorectal ultrasound: An ultrasound probe is inserted into rectum. The probe sends out sound waves that people cannot hear. The waves bounce off rectum and nearby tissues, and a computer uses the echoes to create a picture. The picture may show how deep a rectal tumor has grown or whether the cancer has spread to lymph nodes or other nearby tissues.
Chest x-ray: X-rays of chest may show whether cancer has spread to lungs.
CT scan:
-An x-ray machine linked to a computer takes a series of detailed pictures of areas inside the body.
-A CT scan may show whether cancer has spread to the liver, lungs or other organs.
The tumor grows into the inner wall of the colon or rectum. The tumor does not grown through the wall.
The tumor gets extended more deeply into or through the wall of the colon or rectum. It can also invade nearby tissue, but cancer does not spread to the lymph nodes
The cancer spreads to the nearby lymph nodes, but not to other parts of the body.
The cancer would have spread to other parts of the body, such as the liver or lungs.
www.magnahealthsolutions.com