March is colorectal awareness month: United States is most affected nation

Staff

reports

Just

as October is breast cancer awareness month March is colorectal awareness

month.

 

Dr.

Layth Saymeh, a gastroenterology and hepatology physician talked about the

importance of preventive care and early detection of colon cancer.

“The

United States is the nation most effected by colon cancer. We eat good food,

just not healthy food,” Saymeh said.

According

to the doctor, the best way to screen to colon is to do a procedure called a

colonoscopy.

A

colonoscopy is a test that allows your doctor to look at the inner lining of

your large intestine, rectum and colon. He or she uses a thin, flexible tube

called a colonoscopy to look at the colon. A colonoscopy helps find ulcers, colon polyps,

tumors, and areas of inflammation or bleeding.

Saymeh

noted that during a colonoscopy, tissue samples can be taken and growths known

as polyps can be taken out.

The

colonoscopy is a thin, flexible tube with a small video camera attached to the

colonoscopy so that your doctor can take pictures or video of the large

intestine colon.

Saymeh

said one of the most important components of the test is the prep the night

before. The prep requires you to clean out the colon.

Saymeh

said the test itself is very straight forward and doesn’t take long at all. He

said once in the operating room or procedure room it only takes 20 minutes or

so to complete.

According

to Saymeh a colonoscopy is just as important as the rest of your routine

medical checkups. While it is not necessary to have one every year it is

important to have one by age 50 or earlier if you have family history or other

medical problems.

“A

patient should listen to their body, especially as they age,” Saymeh said. “Our most effective weapon in defeating

colorectal cancer is early detection and treatment. Through a

regular screening program that includes fecal blood testing,

periodic partial or full colon examinations, or

both, health professionals can detect and remove pre-cancerous

polyps before they turn into cancer. Such cancer screening should become a routine part of preventive health care for

anyone over the age of 50, because the risk of developing colorectal cancer increases with age.”

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