Koo Foundation Sun Yat-Sen Cancer Center

• On the day of the exam, the center asks patients not to take blood-sugar-lowering medication. ↗
• On the day of the exam, patients must continue fasting and avoiding water, though up to 50cc of water is allowed to take other chronic-disease medication such as blood pressure drugs. ↗
• The center asks patients not to wear makeup, hair gel or skincare products, jewelry, or gel/art nails, since these can affect the safety of an endoscopy or MRI exam. ↗
• The center asks patients not to wear contact lenses, since this can affect the safety of an endoscopy or MRI exam. ↗
• Patients with any metal implants in their body are asked to call ahead so the center can check MRI image quality and safety; dentures, dental implants and orthopedic fixation hardware are excepted. ↗
• If a sedated endoscopy is scheduled for the same day, the center asks patients not to drive themselves or ride a scooter to and from the exam. ↗
• Pregnant or possibly pregnant patients are asked to tell the health-check staff in advance, and will not have X-ray or other radiation exams. ↗
• If a patient's period falls on the day of the exam, some test results may be affected, and the center will schedule a follow-up re-exam for those items 3 days after the period ends. ↗
• Patients who have an implanted cardiac pacemaker, brain vessel clip or coil, artificial heart valve, or cochlear implant are asked to proactively tell the medical staff. ↗
• Stool samples should be collected 1 to 2 days before the exam; patients also scheduled for a colonoscopy must collect the sample before taking the laxative, and female patients should avoid collecting during their period. ↗
• For patients whose stool sample is collected by the chemical method, the center asks them to avoid carrots, red meat, offal and food containing animal blood, plus iron supplements and other health supplements, starting 5 days before the exam. ↗
• Patients who are not having a gastroscopy or colonoscopy must fast completely, including water, for 8 hours before the exam until it is finished; those having an endoscopy should instead follow the separate endoscopy preparation and medication guide. ↗
• The center asks patients to avoid caffeinated drinks such as coffee, tea and cola for the whole day. ↗
• Patients scheduled for the osteoporosis test bundle or a bone density scan are asked to stop glucosamine and calcium supplements for the whole day. ↗
• The center asks patients to avoid gas-producing foods such as dairy, eggs and beans, to prevent bloating that could affect the exam results. ↗
• The center asks patients to stop supplements that promote blood circulation (fish oil, ginkgo, red yeast rice, ginseng, reishi) 7 days before the exam. ↗
• The center asks patients on antiplatelet drugs, anticoagulants, or anti-inflammatory pain medication that can affect clotting to stop them before the exam, for a number of days that depends on the specific drug (see the center's table). ↗
• Patients using a GLP-1 ("gut hormone"/weight-loss) injection or oral drug to control blood sugar or weight are asked to skip one dose before the exam. ↗
• The low-dose lung CT (LDCT) add-on is limited to patients aged 25 or older. ↗
• The center advises patients who have a biopsy taken or a polyp removed during a gastroscopy or colonoscopy not to fly for 7 days afterward, to avoid altitude pressure or an early clip failure affecting wound healing. ↗

Ask your own doctor before changing any medicine.