Men and women age 50 and older should have a colonoscopy or other screening test (your doctor can determine which other tests may be best for you). If you have a first-degree relative (parent, sibling) who has had colon or rectal cancer, you should be screened 10 years earlier than the age at which your relative was diagnosed with the disease. If you have a history of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), you should start screening at an earlier age (in your 20s). 

At Mount Sinai, colonoscopies (examinations of the rectum and colon) are performed through our Endoscopy Suite. Mount Sinai also has an outreach program, Esperanza Y Vida (Hope and Life) that provides colonoscopies at no charge to underserved people in East and Central Harlem in New York City. 

If any abnormalities are detected during the colonoscopy, your doctor may remove polyps during the procedure, and tissues may be sent for further testing. If you are diagnosed with colon or rectal cancer, you will be referred to one of our medical oncologists. 

If you are diagnosed with colon or rectal cancer, your treatment plan will be customized according to your individual needs. Treatment options typically include one or more of the following:

• Surgery
• Chemotherapy
• Radiation therapy 

We also offer advanced procedures such as laparoscopic surgical resections and HIPEC (Hyperthermic Intraperitneal Chemoperfusion). HIPEC, which combines surgery with chemotherapy, is a specialized treatment of cancers in the abdominal (peritoneal) lining that stem from colon, gastric, ovarian, and appendiceal cancers, as well as mesothelioma and pseudomyxoma peritonei. Physicians at Mount Sinai are also able to perform procedures on those with metastatic disease, including removing lesions on the liver, resections of the liver, and radiation infusions into the liver using Yttrium-90.