Home > Encyclopedia of Cancer > Sigmoidoscopy

Definition

Sigmoidoscopy is a procedure by which a doctor inserts either a short and rigid or slightly longer and flexible fiber-optic tube into the rectum to examine the lower portion of the large intestine (or bowel).

Purpose

Sigmoidoscopy is used most often in screening for colorectal cancer or to determine the cause of rectal bleeding. It is also used for the diagnosis of inflammatory bowel disease and other benign diseases of the lower intestine.

Cancer of the rectum and colon is the second most common cancer in the United States, and claims the lives of approximately 60, 000 people annually. As a result, cancer authorities now recommend that people over 50 be screened for colorectal cancer...