Question
You can think of it like this: colorectal cancer refers to cancer of the large intestine. The large intestine itself is actually subdivided. The end part of the large intestine, which is just above the anus, that is the rectum.
But most of the whole part of the large intestine, that is the colon. So, the colon refers to the first 80% bit of the intestine and the rectum is about the end bit which is about 20%. Colon cancer and rectal cancer is a subset of colorectal cancer.
According to the current screening guidelines for colorectal cancer released by the Ministry of Health Singapore, there are 3 risk categories, namely average risk individual, increased risk individual and high risk individual. A direct family member of a patient with colon cancer is an increased risk individual. If the patient with colon cancer (your family member) was diagnosed before the age of 60 years, you are recommended to undergo colonoscopy once very 5 years starting at an age 10 years before the patient developed the cancer.
Transanal endoscopic surgery is a method of keyhole surgery without creating a scar by using the anus as a natural orifice access. A camera and 2 small keyhole instruments can be inserted to allow the surgery to be performed. It is used to remove benign growths in the rectum that are deeper than the reach of the surgeon's finger. This is indicated for benign tumours between 7-12cm from the anus.
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