Colon cancer is one of the leading causes of cancer deaths worldwide. Doctors use sigmoidoscopes, which are thin tubes with a light source, to examine the rectum and colon for signs of colon cancer. Sigmoidoscopes can be flexible or rigid, and allow doctors to investigate the colon for bumps, cysts, or tumors that may indicate cancer. Early detection through examinations like sigmoidoscopy increases the chances of successfully treating colon cancer.

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Hallmark Surgical
Using
Sigmoidoscopes
to Locate Colon
Cancers

2. Colon cancer is one of the top three cancer killers in the world. It does not discriminate
– colon cancer affects both men and women equally. The American Cancer Society
predicts a total of 136,830 new colon cancer diagnoses and 50,310 deaths from the
illness this year.
The good news is that in the United States, there are more than a million colon cancer
survivors. According to Colon Cancer Alliance, the chance of beating cancer is 90%
only when caught early enough.
Tool for Detection
People with colon cancer will have initial symptoms of constipation. If there are no
visible signs of recovery after a week, doctors recommend a consultation with a
medical professional.
Other than x-rays or ultrasound machines, doctors also use sigmoidoscopes to view the
colon. A sigmoidoscope is a tiny microscope inserted in the rectal passageway for a
closer look at the sigmoid colon. Sigmoidoscopes are tubes that are thin enough to
slide easily through the rectum with a thumb-sized light source attached to them.
Using this device, doctors or nurses could see the lining of the rectum and colon.

3. Sigmoidoscopy
Doctors call the colon evaluation procedure a sigmoidoscopy. While sigmoidoscopy is
a painless procedure, patients usually complain about slight discomfort. Examiners
use either flexible sigmoidoscopes or rigid sigmoidoscopes for this particular physical
exam. Flexible sigmoidoscopes allow the doctor to examine the bends of the colon. A
rigid one, on the other hand, is the more traditional device that doesn’t go too far into
the rectal passageways.
Through sigmoidoscopies, doctors can investigate the cause of concern from the back
passage. Patients also undergo this procedure when physicians find out that they
have other bowel-related symptoms. Its most common use, however, is finding signs
of colon cancer. Once the doctors find bumps, cysts, or tumor growth in the colon,
they may suggest to have them removed immediately.
Awareness and screening are two of the major reasons for the high colon cancer
survival rate. The earlier patients go through examinations, the easier the cancer is to
treat.

4. RESOURCES
http://hallmarksurgical.com/index.php/colorectal/sigmoidoscopes.html
https://www.ccalliance.org/get-information/what-is-colon-cancer/statistics
http://patient.info/health/sigmoidoscopy