Hi, I am looking for some advice regarding ways bowel/colon cancer can be detected please. My mum has blood in her stool and has had a FIT test done which has came back at over 400. However, she has been advised not to get a colonoscopy done as the doctor does not think it would be safe for her. I know you can get a ct colonoscopy, but is there any other tests that can be done? Thank you in advance
Dear Crazy,
Thank you for getting in touch with us, my name is Annerose and I am one of the Cancer Information Nurses on the Macmillan Support line.
I am sorry to read about your concerns about your mother’s FIT test results. It is understandable that you would want to look into different diagnostic tests if your mother’s GP thought she might be too unwell for a conventional colonoscopy.
Cancer Research UK and Bowel Cancer UK have information on diagnostic tests to detect bowel cancer, which includes information on CT colonography also known as Virtual Colonoscopy, and Colon Capsule Endoscopy.
Colon capsule endoscopy is a new project that is taking place in only a few numbers of hospitals across England, and is often part of a trial or if a colonoscopy is not possible due to other medical conditions.
However, if your mother lives in Scotland, she might be able to be referred for a ScotCap Test, as NHS Scotland have introduced this procedure as an alternative to a colonoscopy across their health boards.
If your mothers GP believe the preparation for any of the above tests are too stressful for her, then maybe she could discuss the possibility of being referred for further tests, such as CT, MRI, or Ultrasound scan, which can help in finding changes inside our body.
I hope this has been helpful, please don’t hesitate and get back in touch with us if you have further questions.
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