Colonic assessment to detect carcinomas or polyps is warranted in older patients.

The recommended screening guidelines to detect early stage lesions and polyps for men at average risk include the following:

According to standard medical practice, such post-colon surgery examinations have two main purposes: * To detect new, potentially cancerous polyps.

One example, colonoscopy, detects intestinal polyps before they become cancerous.

Some at high risk of colon cancer might change their diets and get screened more often to detect and remove precancerous polyps.

Early results show promise for screening the colon and detecting small polyps or asymptomatic colorectal cancers.

A study has assessed how well virtual colonoscopy can detect colorectal polyps without a laxative prep.

A colonoscopy is a common test for detecting polyps and colorectal cancer.

However, even an experienced doctor can fail to detect such polyps because they are soft.

The tests would be easier and more comfortable to perform than are the colonoscopy examinations now used to detect polyps.