Preventing Colon Cancer

Dedicated to the prevention, diagnosis and treatment of diseases of the astrointestinal tract. Maintains state of the art, joint commission accreditated endoscopy facility with a team of board certified anesthesiologists. “dedicated staff, committed to excellence in care” New York times magazine, march 18, 2008.

Colon cancer is the number one cause of cancer death in Americans who do not smoke. Despite 130,000 Americans developing colon cancer annually with 55,000 deaths per year, only a minority of persons have undergone a relatively easy procedure to prevent this cancer. Colon cancer begins from small benign growths, called polyps. These small, plantlike growths can be readily

Detected and painlessly removed by Colonoscopy. Colonoscopy involves direct visualization of the colon with a flexible instrument while a patient is sedated, lightly sleeping. With advances in sedation and fiber optic technology, colonoscopy is almost entirely painless (rarely should anyone experience pain during the procedure). Despite the widespread availability of this technique, colon cancer continues to be a major cause of cancer death in the United States. Current recommendations, from the national Cancer Institute, American College of Physicians and American Gastroenterology Association are for all persons over the age of 50 (younger if there is a family history of colon cancer) to undergo screening for colon cancer. Assuming a normal colonoscopy examination, a person is almost completely protected from the development of colon cancer for 5-10 years. No cancer is more preventable than colon cancer.

Author:

Scott Tenner, MD, MPH, FACG, FACP

Gastroenterology Associates

2211 Emmons Ave.

Brooklyn, NY 11235

 (718) 368-2960