Colon Cancer Screening in Hattiesburg, MS

Patients should confer with their provider at Hattiesburg GI Associates, PLLC regarding when to schedule a screening and which tests are suggested. One or more of the procedures listed below could be suggested for a colon cancer screening:

• Flexible sigmoidoscopy: A sigmoidoscope (a finger-sized tube with a built-in camera) will be used to get a look at the inside of the lower colon and rectum. The scope will enter the rectum, and images will be taken of the inside wall as well as some of the colon. This technique may be used so your gastroenterologist can take a biopsy of any polyps or tumors and get rid of some polyps. However, a colonoscopy will need to be done to get a look at all of the colon and to remove all polyps and tumors. This procedure is generally pretty safe, but there is a minimal chance of a bowel tear, bleeding, and infection.
• Colonoscopy: A colonoscope is like a sigmoidoscope except that it is longer and thus able to view the inside of the entire colon. The colonoscope is snaked through the rectum, allowing the doctor to see a full view of the colon on a computer system. Special tools may be introduced into the colonoscope to complete the biopsy and extract polyps. Sedation will be needed. There is a minimal chance of bowel tears, bleeding, and infection due to the procedure.
• Virtual colonoscopy: Virtual colonoscopy is a CT scan of the colon. Patients are directed to lie on a table, where the CT scanner will take cross-section images of their colon. It is a noninvasive technique and does not call for sedation. If any abnormalities are found, a colonoscopy will have to be completed to extract the polyps or tumors.
• Double-contrast barium enema: A thin tube is placed into the rectum and barium sulfate, which is a white chalky liquid, and air are pumped into the colon. The barium suspension will line the outer walls of the colon. X-ray images of the colon are then taken to identify abnormalities on the inner wall. If any abnormalities are identified, a colonoscopy needs to be done to extract the polyps or tumors.
• Fecal test: Fecal tests are performed with a fecal sample and are totally safe. These tests do not necessarily provide confirmation of abnormalities in the GI tract, but they might offer some evidence of a disorder that requires further testing. A colonoscopy will need to be performed if your results are positive, indicating the presence of cancerous growths in the colon. Our Hattiesburg, MS gastroenterologists perform three different types of fecal tests:
  • Stool DNA tests identify specific abnormal DNA genes from the cells discarded from cancerous outgrowths or polyps in the stool sample.
  • With the help of a chemical reaction, fecal occult blood tests can detect blood in your feces that isn't visible to normal eyes.
  • Fecal immunochemical tests are able to detect blood that would otherwise be imperceptible through a certain immunochemical reaction of protein in the blood.