New Ways to Diagnose Colon Cancer

摘要： If you‘ve been putting off having a colonoscopy out of fear or dread, take heart: New advances are helping make this test faster and much easier to endure。 In fact most report they are pretty comfortable,“ he says。 “Patients are generally much more comfortable now than in the past。 And o......

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If you've been putting off having a colonoscopy out of fear or dread, take heart: New advances are helping make this test faster and much easier to endure.

Durado Brooks, MD, director of Colorectal Cancer for the American Cancer Society, tells WebMD that "most people no longer experience any significant discomfort during the procedure. In fact most report they are pretty comfortable," he says.

Gastroenterologist Jennifer Christie, MD, agrees. "Patients are generally much more comfortable now than in the past. And one reason is because doctors are simply getting better at performing this screening. We're better trained and we're doing more procedures, so patients reap the benefits," says Christie, director of Women's Gastrointestinal Health and Motility at Mt. Sinai Medical Center in New York City.

How a Colonoscopy Works

A colonoscopy is one option recommended for screening of colon cancer in adults at average risk. A colonoscopy is performed by inserting a lighted, flexible tube called an endoscope into the rectum to visualize the inside of the colon. The end of the tube houses a tiny camera that relays the images back to a computer screen.

During the test doctors look for lesions known as "polyps." These are small growths that can sometimes be the precursor to colon cancer. If a polyp is found, the endoscope can also be used to remove them during the same procedure.

"In this sense a colonoscopy is both diagnostic and therapeutic -- it can find a problem and treat it during the same procedure," says Brooks.

发布日期：2006-9-6

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