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Catch a Killer with Colon Cancer Screening

Colorectal Cancer – cancer of the colon or rectum, often referred to as just colon cancer – is the second leading cause of cancer-related deaths among men and women in the U.S., claiming nearly 50,000 lives each year. Yet, if everyone aged 50 or older were screened regularly, as many as 60% of deaths from this cancer could be avoided.

"Screening tests can find precancerous polyps (abnormal growths) in the colon or rectum so they can be removed before they turn into cancer," explains Dr. Win Travassos, gastroenterologist and medical director of endoscopy at Lowell General Hospital. "Screening tests can also find colorectal cancer in its earliest stages, when treatment works best."

Endo PatientThe most effective screening test for colorectal cancer is colonoscopy, a common and very safe procedure that examines the lining of your lower intestinal tract called the colon (or large intestine). During the procedure, a flexible viewing tube – a colonoscope – is threaded up through the rectum to inspect the entire colon and rectum. If an abnormality is found, the doctor can take a biopsy or remove it entirely. Patients are sedated during the procedure, ensuring their comfort.

National guidelines recommend that everyone have a screening colonoscopy every 10 years starting at age 50 (or earlier and more often if you have certain risk factors, including a family history of colorectal polyps or cancer, or if you have inflammatory bowel disease).

With his mother's history of colon cancer, James of Chelmsford knows how important screening is to help keep him cancer-free. "Having regular colonoscopies is a much better approach to stopping cancer than having it detected after it spreads and causes symptoms," says James, who has had polyps removed on many occasions since he began screening at age 50, but has never developed cancer. Polyps are early signs of abnormality and when removed, are prevented from becoming cancerous growths.

ASGE logoAt Lowell General Hospital's state-of-the-art Endoscopy Center, located at the main campus of the hospital, experienced gastroenterology specialists and nurses perform diagnostic and therapeutic procedures, including colonoscopies.The Endoscopy Center at Lowell General Hospital has been recognized by the American Society for Gastrointestinal Endoscopy (ASGE) for meeting strict national standards of quality and patient safety.

Being a hospital-based center, if something is detected and needs to be removed or treated, it can be done during the same procedure, and for patients with other medical conditions, such as heart problems or diabetes, having the procedure performed at a hospital adds an extra level of safety.

"Having my colonoscopy done at Lowell General Hospital gives me peace of mind. If something more serious is needed, the hospital can immediately care for me. As I'm getting older, that's more important," says the now 70-year-old who continues to work full-time. "It's also reassuring to have two nurses in the room so that I am taken care of even if a nurse needs to assist the physician during the procedure."

"Colon cancer is far more common than people realize – one out of every 30 people will have it during their lifetime – those are numbers worth thinking about," says Dr. Travassos.

If you are aged 50 or older, or think you may be at increased risk for colorectal cancer, talk to your doctor about getting screened.

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