What do you do for colon cancer screening?
First off, it is very important to have a rectal exam annually after the age of 50. For men, this is the reason why when you get a prostate exam, they check to see if you have blood in your stool. This is the first step in the process of detecting colon cancer early. Then patients are recommended to have a sigmoidoscopy every 3-5 years after the age or colonoscopy every 10 years after the age of 50.
Well both procedures look into your colon. The difference is the location of the colon. The sigmoidoscopy only looks at the lower colon. In comparison, colonoscopy enables the physician to look into the upper colon.