Bowel cancer and diagnostic tests

My family member has been diagnosed with bowel cancer following  the screening test that gets sent through the post . 

Since this time they have been sent for scans before Xmas .

Is it procedure and routine for a scan to be done following colonocopy for everyone ? Or is this a sign they are searching for possible secondaries ?

What is the probability that the cancer will be caught at the earliest stages ?

 

Kind Regards and thanks I'm advance for your responses . Love and hope to all who are suffering .

  •  

    Hi Blondie,

    Welcome to our forum. I am so sorry to hear about your family member's diagnosis. I have been through this procedure following the routine bowel screening programme. I was one of the fortunate ones, as they ony found some small piles, which were too small to band. However, I have since been diagnosed with 2 bouts of breast cancer, so I didn't escape after all.

    What type of scan is going to be done?  I am not a doctor, but I suspect that, if they were looking for secondaries, they would be looking at different areas of the body, rather than concentrating on the bowel. Sometimes scans are also done to produce better clarification of an area, which helps the consultant and his team to decide on the best teatment for the patient.

    There is no way of telling what stage the cancer is at until you get the results of tests back. Don't be afraid to ask the consultant about anything that is worrying you, or anything that you do not understand.

    I hope that the results don't show up any secondaries and that it has been caught early on.

    Please let us know the outcome. We are always here for yoou.

    Kind regards,

    Jolamine xx