Men and women age 45 and older should have a colonoscopy or other screening test (your primary care provider 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 at age 40 or 10 years earlier than the age at which your relative was diagnosed with their cancer. If you have a history of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) affecting the colon, you should start screening 8 years after your diagnosis.

At Mount Sinai, colonoscopies (examinations of the rectum and colon) are performed through our Endoscopy Suite. Colonoscopies are considered the "gold standard" of colorectal cancer screening tests.

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.

At Mount Sinai, we have a program, called CHOICE: Your Colon, Your Choice that gives you choices for your colorectal cancer screening. The New York State Cancer Services Program provides screening options for uninsured New York State residents.