Medical Services
CCSC provides colon cancer screening-related colonoscopies to generally healthy individuals under the age of 75, who do not have symptoms and meet one of the following criteria:
- Average risk for colon cancer, age 50 – 75.
- Family history of colon cancer.
- Personal history of colon cancer or polyps.
- Positive FIT (Fecal Immunochemical Test) done for colon cancer screening.
CCSC does not provide medical consultations or diagnostic procedures for the investigation or management of gastrointestinal symptoms or known or suspected gastrointestinal diseases. In these situations, individuals should be referred to the Gastrointestinal Central triage at an acute care site or to a community gastroenterologist or a colorectal surgeon.
As a non-hospital facility, CCSC can only provide services to people who are generally healthy and are at a low risk for undergoing a colonoscopy under conscious sedation.
The CCSC will also provide special services, which are performed as needed during procedures:
- Single balloon colonoscopy
- Large polyp removal
- CT colonography (virtual colonoscopy) in collaboration with Foothills Medical Centre Diagnostic Imaging
- Difficult colonoscopies
What are my chances of getting colon cancer?
- Approximately 15-20 percent of adults over age 50 develop polyps, an abnormal growth of cells of the inner lining of your colon and rectum. However only a small percent of polyps turn into colon cancer.
- Colon cancers can be prevented altogether if polyps are found early and removed before they have a chance to become cancerous. There is no way to tell which ones will turn into cancer.
