Chicago-Area Colorectal Cancer Screenings

Screening can save your life: This is a message for everyone, including younger adults — now more than ever. Colorectal cancer is the deadliest cancer among young men and the second deadliest among women, and individuals under 50 are currently the only population group experiencing a rise in colorectal cancer cases and deaths. When colorectal cancer is detected in its earliest stages, the five-year relative survival rate is 91%.

Current screening recommendations:

• Individuals at an average risk of colorectal cancer should begin screening at age 45
• Individuals at a higher risk of colorectal cancer may require earlier or more frequent screening. You may be considered high risk if you:
  • Have a personal or family history of colorectal cancer or colorectal polyps
  • Have a personal history of inflammatory bowel disease such as Crohn’s disease or ulcerative colitis
  • Have a genetic syndrome such as familial adenomatous polyposis or hereditary nonpolyposis colorectal cancer (Lynch syndrome)
  • Have had radiation therapy to your abdomen or pelvis

Our quick, simple online Risk Management Tool can help you determine whether you may be at higher risk for certain cancers, while offering personalized screening and prevention recommendations. 

Screening at City of Hope means speed to care, rapid results, specialization and compassion — the City of Hope difference that patients and their loved ones can count on, from the very start.

• Speed to care means we offer appointments for colonoscopies — the gold standard screening for colorectal cancer — in as little as one week, and results within 24 to 48 hours.
• AI-enabled technology is at our fingertips, helping our experts detect colon polyps, adenomas and cancerous or precancerous lesions in real time during colonoscopies.
• If colorectal cancer is found, we offer disease-specific experts, treatments and technologies — all under one roof — at our Chicago Gastrointestinal Cancer Center.
• Delivering safe, high-quality care is our priority, as demonstrated by The Joint Commission’s Gold Seal of Approval^® for Hospital Accreditation and four decades of accreditation by the American College of Surgeons Commission on Cancer.
   

To understand whether a screening colonoscopy is right for you, or if additional testing may be more appropriate based on your personal risk factors, call our City of Hope Chicago care coordination team at 844-MY-FIGHT.  

Please be prepared with:

• Some form of identification, such as a driver’s license
• Your insurance card, so our team can verify your insurance coverage on your behalf; if you’re uninsured, our financial counselors are available to discuss next steps
• Your primary care physician’s name and contact information, if applicable, so we can share your colorectal cancer screening results the following business day*
  
  * Patients don’t need a primary care physician to be screened or a doctor’s order to request a colonoscopy.