Sigmoidoscopy: Purpose, procedure and how it compares to a colonoscopy
An anoscopy examines the anus, and a colonoscopy examines the colon. So, what does a sigmoidoscopy examine? Hint: the answer is in the name.
A sigmoidoscopy – sometimes called a flexible sigmoidoscopy – is a procedure doctors use primarily to see inside the rectum and sigmoid colon.
You may be wondering what conditions a sigmoidoscopy can help diagnose and how a sigmoidoscopy differs from a colonoscopy. Here, I’ll answer...
When a breast cancer oncologist becomes a breast cancer patient
Jennifer Litton, M.D., knows more than most about breast cancer. As a breast medical oncologist and UT MD Anderson’s chief clinical research...
Why is breast cancer so common?
If you or a loved one has been diagnosed with breast cancer, you’re not alone. Breast cancer is the second most common cancer among women...
What to expect during a clinical breast exam
While mammograms are the gold standard breast imaging for breast cancer screening, they are performed along with a clinical breast exam. In fact, in younger women who aren’t old enough to need a mammogram yet, a clinical breast exam can tell us when there’s a need for further screening.
As a physician in MD Anderson’s Cancer Prevention Center and Undiagnosed Breast Clinic, I am answering common questions about what happens during...
5-time cancer survivor: Dual diagnoses led me to MD Anderson
The first time I had cancer, I was in my late 20s. What I thought was a persistent zit on my nose turned out to be basal cell carcinoma. I...
What to expect at your first mammogram
You may feel nervous about getting your first screening mammogram. After all, it’s your first one, so you don’t know exactly what to expect...
What are multi-cancer detection (MCD) tests, and should you get one?
Last updated March 31, 2026
Multi-cancer detection tests (MCD), also known as multi-cancer early detection (MCED) tests, offer the...
Stage III cervical cancer survivor: Why I no longer skip my well-woman exams
When I was diagnosed with stage III cervical cancer this past spring, it came as a shock. I hadn’t been feeling well for several months, but...
HPV vaccine: What age is too late?
Nearly 80% of men and women get the human papillomavirus (HPV) at some point in their lives, mainly through intimate skin-to-skin contact....
Prostate cancer survivor grateful for precise treatment during proton therapy
With a family history of prostate cancer, Jody Fuller knows the importance of annual prostate cancer screenings. So, at age 45, when his results...