Colorectal Disease
Colorectal diseases can be difficult to diagnose as they are often misdiagnosed or mislabeled as other issues.
It is important to discuss colorectal health with your doctor, embarrassing as it may seem. Irregularity with bowel movements, pain, diarrhea, and bloating are generally causes for concern.
Diseases such as IBS have the symptoms of more serious conditions like ulcerative colitis and crohn’s disease.
Colaris Genetic Testing
The risk for colon cancer in women doubles if a first degree relative (mother, sister, or daughter) has been diagnosed with breast cancer (especially before age 40).
Colaris, a simple blood test by Myriad Genetics, assesses a woman’s risk of developing colorectal cancer based on detection of mutations in the gene.
Recently this test has become the standard of care in identification of individuals with a family history of breast or ovarian cancer and is currently being offered at Women’s Specialty Health Centers.
Both Dr. McLaughlin and Nurse Practitioner, Kristi Marsella are educators and guest speakers for Colaris testing where they are actively involved in counseling women, as well as other physicians about the hereditary risk factors and testing for Colon cancer.
If you have a strong family history or specific questions please contact our office.
Hemocult
If there is cause for concern with your colorectal health, a hemocult test may be ordered to check for blood in the stool. This simple test uses a small stool sample to check for blood and resembles a pH testing strip.
Colonoscopy
A colonoscopy is generally prescribed as a preventative health measure for middle-aged adults (a common colonoscopy screening age is 50). This procedure involves a cleansing, liquid based diet for several days, followed by an outpatient procedure. After being sedated, the surgeon will insert a scope into the colon to check for polyps and irregularities. Surgeons are able to remove irregular tissues and take samples to screen for colorectal diseases and cancer.
