A colonoscopy is a common painless procedure where your healthcare provider—usually a gastroenterologist—uses a camera called a colonoscope to look inside your rectum and entire colon. One of the things your healthcare provider will be looking for are small growths called polyps. If not removed, polyps may become cancerous.
of polyps can be found by a colonoscopy
Colonoscopy is widely considered to be the gold standard for colorectal cancer screening.
Other tests can be used to check for colon cancer, but they aren’t as effective as a colonoscopy at finding polyps, and may also need to be done more often.
In most cases, you only need to get a colonoscopy once every 10 years, starting at age 45, unless you have a family history of colon cancer, changes in bowel habits or other factors or conditions that would increase your risk of colon cancer.
Your healthcare provider will let you know how often you should get one.
Colon cancer is the
in the United States.
Colonoscopy is important for your health because it prevents and detects colon cancer and other gastrointestinal (GI) issues.
The good news is, if colon cancer is found early and treated,
Talk to your healthcare provider about having a colonoscopy if you’re 45 years of age or older, or have any of the following:
A family history of colon cancer
Change in bowel habits
Blood in your stool
Pain in your stomach area (abdomen)
Lynch Syndrome
Any chronic digestive condition such as Inflammatory Bowel Disease (Crohn’s Disease or Ulcerative Colitis)
Unexplained weight loss
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