How do you diagnose it?

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How do you diagnose it?

Types of Cancer

Colorectal Cancer

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Patients typically undergo a number of diagnostic tests before a definitive diagnosis of colorectal cancer can be made. If any of the routine screening tests - colonoscopy, sigmoidoscopy, or fecal occult blood test - indicate the possibility of cancer, a number of additional tests may be ordered to provide the physician with further information.

Once a definitive diagnosis of colorectal cancer has been reached, your physician will need to "stage" your colorectal cancer - or determine how far the tumor has spread - to devise the best treatment plan. Staging is based on information gathered from the diagnostic tests described below, or any other tests that may have been ordered, including routine laboratory tests. Colorectal cancer staging is based on the TNM classification system, which assesses the extent of the primary tumor, lymph node involvement, and any distant metastases. Classification ranges from Stage 0 (early-stage cancer) to Stage IV (metastatic cancer). A detailed discussion of the various stages of colorectal cancer and the appropriate treatment options for each can be found at: www.cancer.gov/cancerinfo/pdq/treatment/rectal/patient/.

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John Muir Health offers the full spectrum of advanced technology used in diagnosing and staging colorectal and other GI cancers. Tests may include:

Colonic Ultrasound - This innovative ultrasound enables the physician to more accurately stage colon cancer by determining how deeply the cancer has penetrated the walls of the colon, and whether there is any spread to other organs. During this procedure, a thin tube bearing an ultrasound probe at the end is inserted into the colon via the anus and rectum. Sound waves are bounced off the walls of the colon, producing images of the colon and adjacent organs on an external screen.

Endorectal Ultrasound - Similar to a colonic ultrasound, this test entails the use of an ultrasound probe inserted into the rectum. Sound waves are bounced off the walls of the rectum, enabling the physician to determine how far the cancer has invaded.

Physicians may also order a CT scan (computed tomography) to garner more information about any local or distant spread of the tumor. CT is a computer-enhanced x-ray procedure that provides a high level of structural detail by recording cross-sectional images from many different angles. A new, state-of-the-art diagnostic tool now available at John Muir Health is an integrated CT and PET scanner. PET (positron emission tomography) scanning entails the injection of a special radionuclide glucose that migrates to areas of high metabolic activity, which are indicative of cancer. The combination of these two important diagnostic tools arms the physician with an unprecedented level of useful information.

In addition, blood tests are now available that look for certain biological "markers" that can indicate the presence of colorectal cancer.

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