6 auxiliary diagnostic methods for colorectal cancer

The commonly used auxiliary diagnostic methods for colorectal cancer in clinical practice include fecal occult blood test, colonoscopy, X-ray barium enema, CT examination, B-ultrasound examination and serum tumor marker detection.

1. Fecal occult blood test

The fecal occult blood test is simple and easy to perform. It does not cause any pain to the patient and only requires the patient to collect stool. It can be used as a basis for colorectal cancer screening or early diagnosis. The disadvantage is that the diagnostic specificity is not high.

2. Colonoscopy

Colonoscopy can directly observe changes in the intestinal wall and intestinal cavity, determine the location, characteristics and infiltration range of the tumor, and simultaneously take living tissue for pathological examination, which has a high diagnostic value.

3. X-ray barium enema

The diagnosis of colorectal cancer is usually performed using double contrast barium radiography, which can reveal signs such as filling defects, intestinal stenosis, and mucosal fold damage. It can clearly determine the location and extent of the tumor and is especially suitable for patients who have difficulty with colonoscopy.

4. CT examination

CT examination is mainly used to understand the extraintestinal invasion and muscle metastasis of colorectal cancer, which helps in clinical pathological staging, formulating treatment plans and evaluating prognosis.

5. Ultrasound examination

B-ultrasound examination can determine the depth of colorectal cancer infiltration in the intestinal wall and the metastasis of surrounding lymph nodes, which is very helpful for preoperative evaluation.

6. Serum tumor marker detection

The serum tumor marker for colorectal cancer mainly refers to carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA). Although it is not specific, dynamic monitoring is helpful in evaluating the treatment effect and monitoring postoperative recurrence.