Prevention: Colon Screening

For people at age 50 or older, screening to prevent colon cancer should be part of their routine healthcare.

For people with higher risks for colon cancer, such as having a family history of colon cancer or personal history of certain types of cancer, screening may start at an earlier age.

At Fox Chase, our gastroenterologists are very experienced at performing high-quality colonoscopy. We not only perform routine screening procedures on our patients, but also serve as a second-opinion center for difficult colonoscopies referred by other facilities.

The length of the procedure itself on average is between 20-30 minutes, depending on what we need to do inside the colon (polypectomy, additional cleaning out the colon, ablative therapy, etc). We have simplified the colon cleansing protocol in order to make the task more palatable for our patients. Our staff offer detailed and clear instructions to patients by phone or in person.

In addition, Fox Chase offers Open Access Endoscopy services for referring physicians to expedite scheduling routine screening procedures.
Call 215-214-1421.

For more information about Gastroenterology Services at Fox Chase or to schedule an appointment, call 215-214-1475.

Virtual Colonoscopy

Under certain conditions, CT Colonography ("Virtual Colonoscopy") may be safer for some patients: those patients who require blood thinners or patients with multiple medical conditions.

Audio: Why a virtual colonoscopy?
Hear more about the process

Diagnostic Imaging

Diagnostic imaging services include fluoroscopy, CT, nuclear medicine, PET/CT, MRI, ultrasound, colonoscopy, CT Colonography ("Virtual Colonoscopy"), mammography and stereotactic breast biopsy.

Review and consultation services are available at Fox Chase for films submitted by outside physicians.

See National Cancer Institute information on
colonscopy