Colorectal Services

In this section

Save the Excuses, Get Screened!

Colon cancer is one of the deadliest cancers, yet also one of the most treatable if found early.

If you’re 45 and older, it's time to get screened regularly.

We suggest you talk to your healthcare provider about screening options, your risk factors and the age they recommend you begin receiving colon cancer screenings.

If you don’t have a regular healthcare provider to help coordinate screenings and other healthcare needs, we can help. Click on the Find a Provider button or click on the phone number below.

Find A Provider

You may be at higher risk for colon cancer depending on your family health history or lifestyle choices including:

Not being physically active
A diet high in red meat and processed meats
Smoking
Alcohol use

What Is Colorectal Cancer?

Colon and rectal cancer (also known as colorectal cancer or bowel cancer) is a type of gastrointestinal cancer. It tends to grow slowly, usually starting as growths (polyps) in the colon.

Talk to your doctor if you experience any of these issues, as they could be a sign of bowel disease:

Change in bowel habits
Rectal bleeding or bloody stool
Persistent abdominal pain or bloating
Unexplained weight loss

Colon Cancer Screening: Colonoscopy

Routine screening colonoscopies are the best way to detect cancer or precancerous polyps. When we find and treat colorectal cancer in its early stages, before it spreads to other parts of the body, survival rates are excellent.

A colonoscopy is an endoscopic procedure that requires sedation. A gastroenterologist uses a thin tube with a video camera at one end (colonoscope) to examine your colon and rectum. In some cases, we can remove precancerous polyps during a colonoscopy.

Colorectal Cancer Diagnosis

If we suspect you have colorectal cancer, we may perform additional tests using endoscopic technology. Endoscopic ultrasound or flexible sigmoidoscopy are minimally invasive examinations that use an endoscope (thin tube) to examine the colon and rectum.

Colorectal Cancer Treatment

We may recommend a combination of medical oncology (chemotherapy or immunotherapy), radiation therapy and surgery to treat colorectal cancer.