Diagnosing Bowel Cancer

Whether you have gone to your GP with symptoms, or come through the Bowel Cancer Screening Programme, once you get to hospital everyone follows a similar pathway.

You may have an appointment with a hospital doctor or nurse while they decide which test is best for you, or you may go straight for a test.

The most common test that people have is a colonoscopy, but some people may have a CT scan or even a capsule colonoscopy – where you swallow a ‘pill camera’ that travels through your digestive system taking pictures!

Colonoscopy

A colonoscopy allows doctors to examine the entire large bowel to identify abnormal areas, such as polyps or tumours, and take samples (biopsies) for further testing if needed.

During a colonoscopy a thin flexible tube, which has a small camera at the end, is inserted into the back passage (bottom). This tube is carefully guided around the bowel to check to see if there are any polyps (non-cancerous or cancerous). If any are found they are usually removed during the procedure, to prevent them growing into a cancer over time. These are also sent off to the labs to check whether they are cancerous or not.

Flexible Sigmoidoscopy

Flexible sigmoidoscopy is sometimes used instead of colonoscopy as it is a shorter, less invasive test that focuses on the lower part of the bowel.

Capsule Colonoscopy

A more recent test that has started being used is ‘capsule colonoscopy’. For this test you are asked to swallow a small pill, with a camera at each end, that travels through your digestive system taking pictures. The capsule sends images to the hospital team who check them for anything of concern, whilst you simply pass the capsule in your poo!

Before you have a colonoscopy, flexible sigmoidoscopy, or capsule colonoscopy you will usually be asked to take ‘bowel prep’. This is a medicine which you drink the day before your procedure, which clears your bowel out by causing you to have diarrhoea. By clearing your bowel the doctor is able to get a really good look at your bowel to see if there are any polyps.