how many of you had colonoscopy miss ur cancer?

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princess14
princess14 Member Posts: 6
in Anal Cancer #1

Hi Everyone, 

Was just curious as to how many of you had colonoscopys that completely missed your tumor altogether? 

Mums was missed completely even though her notes clearly stated there was a ridge at the anal verge however surgeon preforming colonoscopy didnt see nor feel anything also included in the notes that she had a inguinal node test positive for carcinoma given this was only from an fna at this stage, I know they can be missed however I was just curious how 2 other specialist picked it up on dre but the dr doing the scope missed it!  

 

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  • jcruz
    jcruz Member Posts: 379 Member
    #2
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    maybe - maybe not

    I had a routine scheduled colonscopy 2 years prior to developing the problems that were ultimately diagnosed as anal cancer.  When I began to have this weird collection of symptoms my doctor performed a DRE and felt a mass.  She referred me to a gastroenterologist whe performed a flexible sigmoidoscopy.  She said a colonoscopy was not necessary because she was examining the lower part of the colon and the rectum.  I remember at one point she said it would get uncomfortable because she was going to turn the scope for a look at the anal area.  She said that's when she could best see the mass and biopsy it.  The followup a few weeks later was an anoscopy and biopsy under anesthesia by the surgeon.

    I choose to believe that the tumor developed in the 2 years after the colonoscopy and that it wasn't missed at that time.

  • mxperry220
    mxperry220 Member Posts: 493 Member
    #3
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    Colonoscopy

    My gaststroenterologist found anal tumor when he did a colonoscopy.  This started the whole anal cancer diagnosis and treatment journey.

    Mike

  • sephie
    sephie Member Posts: 650 Member
    #4
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    mine was missed on colonoscopy

    i had a colonoscopy because i was having bleeding, pain,  and sores on outside of anus..... the proctologist did it....said all fine.....he even did a DRE and missed it...... my tumor was caught by a colorectal surgeon who did DRE and anoscope .... and biopsy.... this was only 4 months after the colonoscopy..... it was there but was over shot by the scope ......   i had been having problems for over a year..... sephie

  • mp327
    mp327 Member Posts: 4,440 Member
    #5
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    princess14

    My cancer was actually discovered initially during an anoscope examination in my colorectal doctor's office, at which time she told me she was 99% sure it was cancer.  Two days later I had a colonoscopy performed by her, during which she took the biopsy specimen.  A few days later, her diagnosis was confirmed by the pathology report. 

    I will say that many times anal cancer is missed during a colonoscopy.  That type of exam is not really meant to view the anal canal thoroughly, as the view from the scope is forward only and not to the sides, as I understand it.  The scope can be turned to see the anal canal if the doctor performing the scope specifically does this, but oftentimes they just don't.  This is how anal cancer is missed on a colonoscopy.  The best exam for finding a tumor in the anal canal is an anoscope that is slotted on the sides, which allows the doctor to turn it and see the entire anal canal area, or high resolution anoscopy.  HRA is not widely available though.

    I always tell people that if they've had a colonoscopy because of rectal bleeding and nothing was found on the exam, then they need to keep pursuing answers as to the reason for the bleeding and insist on getting an anoscope.

     

  • nicotianna
    nicotianna Member Posts: 209
    #6
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    sephie said:

    mine was missed on colonoscopy

    i had a colonoscopy because i was having bleeding, pain,  and sores on outside of anus..... the proctologist did it....said all fine.....he even did a DRE and missed it...... my tumor was caught by a colorectal surgeon who did DRE and anoscope .... and biopsy.... this was only 4 months after the colonoscopy..... it was there but was over shot by the scope ......   i had been having problems for over a year..... sephie

    AC missed on colonoscopy

    I had some rectal bleeding & had a colonoscopy 11 months prior to my diagnosis.  The gastroenterologist's report states that "clearly the bleeding is due to an internal hemmorhoid".  I was dx'd with stage IIIb 11 mos. later.  I called him about it & he said that I had an aggressive cancer.  I think it was missed :(

    Nic

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