Evaluating the Cancer's Location & Features

Transcript

There are different ways we may evaluate your cancer. Oftentimes you’ve already had a colonoscopy for the diagnosis of your cancer, but your surgeon may need to perform another evaluation to really determine the location, and sometimes even the features of your cancer. This could mean, for a lower tumor, what we call an exam under anesthesia, which is really just some sedation and an evaluation.

Sometimes surgeons may perform either a proctoscopy, which is rigid, or a flexible sigmoidoscopy, even in the office. The difference between these two modalities is obviously in the name, flexible versus rigid. One is a rigid scope that we actually place right through the anus for an evaluation of a rectal tumor, whereas a flexible scope is also placed through the anus and we look at the rectum with that as well.

These two modalities are really for evaluation of rectal cancers. And sometimes the surgeon may need to perform a colonoscopy if they’re really unsure of where the tumor is, or sometimes a mark with tattooing where the tumor may be located.

Key Takeaways

1. Your surgeon may need to perform another evaluation after a colonoscopy to determine the location and sometimes even the features of your cancer.

2. This could mean an exam under anesthesia (for a lower tumor) or a proctoscopy, which is rigid, or a flexible sigmoidoscopy, even in the office.

3. The difference between these two modalities is obviously in the name, flexible versus rigid in terms of scopes in the anus.

4. Sometimes the surgeon may need to perform a colonoscopy if they’re unsure of where the tumor is, or mark it with tattooing.