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Diagnosis of Rectal Cancer



Regular screening tests can help detect polyps at an early stage. Removal of these pre-cancerous polyps can help prevent rectal cancer. Regular screening can help detect the cancer at an early stage when the cure rate is high.

A diagnosis of rectal cancer involves a taking a detailed history along with a physical examination. The doctor will ask you to undergo certain tests to confirm the diagnosis of rectal cancer. Tests for rectal cancer include:

  • Colonoscopy: Generally considered to be the best diagnostic test for rectal cancer, it is also frequently used as a screening test. Smaller polyps if detected can be removed immediately, while larger ones and tumors can be marked for future surgery.
  • Virtual colonoscopy: This test is used as an alternative to traditional colonoscopy. It has the advantage of being minimally invasive. In this test, a CT scanner is used to detect polyps, but these however, cannot be removed as in traditional colonoscopy.
  • Sigmoidoscopy: In this test, a flexible, fiber-optic probe is inserted into the rectum. Images of the rectum and the sigmoid colon (the last two feet of the large intestine) can then be studied for the presence of polyps or tumors.
  • Confocal Laser Endomicroscopy Probe System: This is a probe system containing a miniature microscope that enables the doctor to analyze rectal or colon polyps during the colonoscopy. The microscope probe allows the doctor to identify only pre-cancerous or cancerous polyps which can then be targeted for removal.
  • DNA Stool Tests: Rectal and colon polyps and cancers shed abnormal cells that pass out through the stools. An analysis of these abnormal cells may be able to detect polyps and early stage cancer. These tests are likely to become commonplace in the future.
  • Staging Tests: Identifying the stage of the disease is an important consideration in deciding on the best treatment. X-rays, computerized tomography scans (CT scans) and positron emission tomography scans (PET scans) are some of the methods doctors use to identify the stage of rectal cancer. They can help the doctor determine if the cancer has penetrated the wall of the rectum or colon or whether it has spread to the surrounding lymph nodes or organs.

 


Signs & Symptoms
Prognosis
Frequently asked questions
References
  1. Maria Giulia Zampino, Roberto Labianca, Giordano Beretta, Gemma Gatta, Katia Lorrizo, Filippo de Braud, Jacques Wils, Rectal cancer, Critical Reviews in Oncology/Hematology, Volume 51, Issue 2, August 2004, Pages 121-143, ISSN 1040-8428, 10.1016/j.critrevonc.2004.03.004.
  2. E.M. Tweedle, P.S. Rooney, A.J.M. Watson, Screening for Rectal Cancer – Will it Improve Cure Rates?, Clinical Oncology, Volume 19, Issue 9, November 2007, Pages 639-648, ISSN 0936-6555, 10.1016/j.clon.2007.07.002.
  3. Rob Glynne-Jones, Pawan Mathur, Colin Elton, Matthew L. Train, Multimodal treatment of rectal cancer, Best Practice & Research Clinical Gastroenterology, Volume 21, Issue 6, December 2007, Pages 1049-1070, ISSN 1521-6918, 10.1016/j.bpg.2007.11.003.