Colon and Rectal Cancers - Dietary Factors

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Highlights	Treatment	Radiation Treatment
Introduction	Surgery	Follow-up Testing
Causes	Chemotherapy	Treatment for Metastasized Colorectal Cancer
Risk Factors and Prevention	Radiation	Resources
Symptoms	Resources	References
Diagnosis and Screening	References

Fecal Immunochemical Test (FIT). The fecal immunochemical test is a newer type of take-home test for hidden (occult) blood. The test is similar to the fecal occult blood test, but patients do not need to follow medication or dietary restrictions. As with the FOBT, a colonoscopy is recommended if blood is found in the stool.

Stool DNA Test. Like the FIT and the FOBT, the stool DNA test is conducted at home and uses fecal samples. Instead of testing for the presence of blood, this test looks for abnormalities in genetic material that come from cancer or polyp cells. These genetic changes are found in genes such as APC, K-ras, and p53. If DNA mutations are found, a colonoscopy is needed. The stool DNA test is new and not yet widely available. Some insurance carriers may not cover its cost.

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Diagnosis of Colorectal Cancer

A doctor makes a diagnosis of colorectal cancer based on results of several types of tests. These tests include:

Biopsy. During a colonoscopy, the doctor can remove a tissue sample, which is sent to a laboratory for testing. A biopsy is the only way to definitively diagnose colorectal cancer.

Blood Tests. Blood tests are used to evaluate the red blood cell count and check for anemia. The presence of anemia without any other obvious cause being present will usually require further evaluation of the gastrointestinal tract for a possible cancer. Blood tests are also used to check for specific tumor markers, substances that are released into the blood from cancer cells. Tumor markers include carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA) and CA 19-9. These tests may help your physician follow you for recurrences of colon cancer after treatment. By themselves, they cannot diagnose cancer and are not used as a screening test

Imaging Tests. Various types of imaging tests can help detect the presence of cancer or find out how far the cancer has spread. These tests include ultrasound, chest x-ray, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scan, positron emission tomography (PET) scan, and computed tomography (CT) scan.

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Review Date: 10/21/2010
Reviewed By: Harvey Simon, MD, Editor-in-Chief, Associate Professor of Medicine, Harvard Medical School; Physician, Massachusetts General Hospital. Also reviewed by David Zieve, MD, MHA, Medical Director, A.D.A.M., Inc.

A.D.A.M., Inc. is accredited by URAC, also known as the American Accreditation HealthCare Commission (www.urac.org).