Colon Cancer Symptoms and Stages

9. Diagnosing colon cancer

During a physical exam, your doctor will feel your abdomen for masses or perform a digital rectal exam with a gloved finger. They will note other irregularities and may recommend blood tests and booking a colonoscopy to view the inside of the colon and rectum. A colonoscopy involves sedating a patient and inserting a tube attached to a camera into the colon from the anus. The procedure takes up to an hour—if the doctor finds polyps, they can remove them via the tube. Tissue samples for biopsies are also collected during colonoscopies.

If close relatives (siblings, parents, or children) or multiple relatives on one side of your family have had cancer, especially when they were younger than 50, you should mention this to your doctor. A family history of bowel cancer could mean doing annual colonoscopies as early as your 30s.