What procedure should the nurse anticipate being scheduled for a client suspected of colorectal cancer?

When a client is suspected of having colorectal cancer, a colonoscopy with biopsy is the most direct and informative procedure to confirm the diagnosis. During a colonoscopy, a flexible tube with a camera is inserted into the rectum to visually inspect the entire colon for abnormalities such as polyps or tumors. If any suspicious areas are identified, the physician can perform a biopsy during the same procedure, obtaining tissue samples for histological examination. This ability to directly visualize and sample the lesions makes colonoscopy with biopsy the gold standard for diagnosing colorectal cancer.

Other diagnostic imaging tests, such as CT scans or MRIs, are useful for assessing spread or staging of cancer but do not provide the direct visual confirmation or tissue diagnosis that a colonoscopy does. Endoscopy typically refers to upper gastrointestinal examinations, which are not relevant for colorectal cancer screening or diagnosis. Thus, while other imaging studies can support the overall assessment, they cannot replace the diagnostic capabilities of a colonoscopy with biopsy in this context.