ABDOMEN AND COLON

YOUR CHECK-UP AFTER AGE 50

 

There are good reasons to worry about colon cancer; it's the third most common type of cancer and the second leading cause of cancer deaths.

 

People most at risk for this disease are those with polyps or a family history of colon cancer. The American Cancer Society recommends that healthy people, both women and men, undergo a Colonoscopy Screening for colon cancer detection or benign polyps starting at age 50 and then every five years thereafter. If you have a family history of this type of cancer, screenings can begin at age 40 or even younger.

 

Suspicious signs and symptoms of colon cancer include a persistent change in bowel habits, such as constipation, blood in the feces, inflammation, distension or abdominal pain and ultimately unexplained weight loss. These symptoms may be confused with Irritable Bowel Syndrome or so-called “Colitis.” It's important to have early exams to clarify what is causing the symptoms and what type of treatment to begin.

 

Unfortunately, until now, many people delayed having these screenings because they were very uncomfortable and invasive. We are happy to offer the VIRTUAL COLONOSCOPY, a fast, reliable, non-invasive test that does not need sedation or rest. The Virtual Colonoscopy is an early-detection screening to look for polyps and aid in the prevention of colon cancer in patients without symptoms. Without using a colonoscope, we can look for polyps virtually with the 64-Slice CT SCAN.

 

If you have abdominal pain or other abdominal symptoms, we recommend a COMPLETE ABDOMEN TOMOGRAPHY for proper visualization of the intestines.