QUARTERBACK. YOU KNOW DOCTORS DON'T ALWAYS MAKE THE WORST PATIENTS RIGHT. DR. LEE
REMINGTON BOON NOTICED
SOMETHING DIFFERENT MAYBE
SOMETHING WRONG SHE DIDN'T WAIT
OR PUT OFF SEEING DR. ELYSSA
SPEZIALE AND SAID IT'S
COLORECTAL CANCER AWARENESS
MONTH. WE'VE ASKED THE TWO DOCS
TO JOIN US THIS MORNING TO
SHARE THEIR STORY. THANKS SO
MUCH FOR BEING HERE. DOCTORS.
THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR HAVING
US. ERIC. THANK YOU. DR.
FREEMAN, LET'S START WITH YOU.
WHAT WHAT CONCERNED YOU THAT
SOMETHING MIGHT BE WRONG THAT
LED YOU TO SEE YOUR FELLOW
DOCTOR HERE SO WELL, TWO YEARS
AGO I WAS FORTY EIGHT AND I WAS
FEELING FINE. NO CONCERNS WITH
MY HEALTH TRY TO TAKE CARE
OF MYSELF AND ALL OF A SUDDEN I
STARTED TO NOTICE A LITTLE BIT
OF BLOOD KIND OF BRIGHT RED
BLOOD ON THE TOILET PAPER WHEN
I WAKE AND YOU KNOW, IN MEDICAL
SCHOOL WE'RE PRETTY EARLY ON
THAT YOU KNOW THE NUMBER ONE
PAINLESS BLEEDING WOULD BE AN
INTERNAL HEMORRHOID. RIGHT. SO
THOSE ARE HEMORRHOIDS THAT ARE
UP IN THE CANAL. YOU CAN'T SEE
THEM. YOU CAN'T FEEL THEM BUT
THEY CAN BLEED MOVEMENTS FROM
TIME TO TIME. SO INITIALLY I
THOUGHT INTERESTING THAT THIS
IS HAPPENING NOW BUT LET'S HANG
AND SEE HOW THIS GOES. MAYBE
IT'LL GO AWAY BUT OVER THE NEXT
FEW WEEKS IT'S KEPT HAPPENING
INTERMITTENTLY AND IT GOT A
LITTLE BIT MORE INTENSE THAN
THE AMOUNT OF READING I WAS
SEEING AND THE WARNING BELLS
WENT OFF IN MY HEAD. SO I WENT
INITIALLY TO MY PRIMARY CARE
PHYSICIAN DR. JULIE JULIó WHO
EXAMINED ME AND SHE REALLY WAS
NOT CONVINCED THAT THIS INDEED
WAS HEMORRHOIDAL BLEEDING. SO
SHE VERY APPROPRIATELY SENT ME
ON TO DR. SPEZIALE WHO
PERFORMED MY COLONOSCOPY WHERE
MY TUMOR WAS FOUND. DR.
SPEZIALE, LET'S BRING YOU INTO
THE CONVERSATION HERE. SO THEN
YOU YOU TOOK THE NEXT FEW STEPS
HERE. WHAT IS THIS SOMETHING
YOU SEE A LOT AND HOW DID YOU
STEP IN? WELL, UNFORTUNATELY
COLON CANCER IS NOT UNCOMMON SO
IT'S THE THIRD MOST COMMON
CAUSE OF CANCER AND ONE IN
TWENTY THREE WOMEN, ONE IN
TWENTY FIVE WOMEN AND ONE IN
TWENTY THREE MEN WILL DEVELOP
IT IN A LIFETIME. SO IT'S NOT
AN UNCOMMON FINDING BUT
CERTAINLY IN SOMEBODY WHO IS
YOUNG THAT'S HEALTHY, THAT HAS
NO RISK FACTORS AND SOMEONE
WHO'S MY FRIEND IT WAS VERY,
VERY DIFFICULT. WHAT SHOULD A
PATIENT DO IF THEY NOTICE ANY
OF THESE SYMPTOMS? I MEAN LIKE
DR. BOONE, SHOULD THEY RIGHT
AWAY CALL OR IS TAKE A WEEK OR
WHAT ARE SOME OF THE ADVICE YOU
HAVE? SO UNFORTUNATELY WITH
COLON CANCER THE MOST COMMON
THING IS NOT TO HAVE ANY
SYMPTOMS AT ALL. AND SO IT'S
REALLY IMPORTANT TO KNOW YOUR
FAMILY HISTORY TO HAVE
CONVERSATIONS WITH YOUR PRIMARY
DOCTOR ABOUT WHEN TO START
SCREENING AT APPROPRIATE TIME
AND THE BEST WAY TO DO THE
SCREENING. BUT CERTAIN RED
FLAGS WARNING SIGNS ARE THE
BLEEDING LIKE DR. BOONE HAD
ABDOMINAL PAIN THAT'S
PERSISTENT UNEXPLAINED WEIGHT
LOSS, MAYBE A CHANGE IN STOOL
PATTERN. THOSE ARE THINGS TO
WATCH OUT FOR. DR. BRUEN, DID
YOU HAVE A FAMILY HISTORY WITH
WITH COLON CANCER AT ALL? I
HAVE NO FAMILY HISTORY OF COLON
CANCER WHATSOEVER. IN FACT,
AFTER MY DIAGNOSIS I WENT
THROUGH A LARGE BATTERY
OF GENETIC TESTING BECAUSE
THERE'S ACTUALLY A HUGE FAMILY
HISTORY OF CANCER AND I HAVE
NO GENETIC MARKERS FOR CANCER
KNOWN AT THIS POINT. BUT THIS
BRINGS UP A REALLY, REALLY
IMPORTANT POINT THAT I WANT
EVERYBODY TO HEAR VERY
FREQUENTLY WHEN I BRING UP
COLON CANCER SCREENING WITH MY
PATIENTS I WILL HEAR NO DOUBT
TRIBUNE I'M NOT REALLY SO
CONCERNED ABOUT THIS. I HAVE NO
COLON CANCER IN MY FAMILY AND
MY REPLY IS THAT NOT HAVING A
FAMILY HISTORY DOES NOT MAKE
YOU LOW RISK. IT MAKES YOU
AVERAGE RISK. AND AS DR.
SPEZIALE POINTED OUT THERE,
AVERAGE RISK IN OUR GENERAL
POPULATION IS HIGH ENOUGH FOR
COLON CANCER SCREENING IS
UNIVERSALLY RECOMMENDED FOR
EVERYONE WITH A COLON AT A
GIVEN AGES AND YOU'RE LIKE THE
REAL LIFE EXAMPLE OF THAT RIGHT
TO YOUR PATIENTS. EXACTLY.
NEVER EXPECTED. RIGHT? RIGHT.
SO WHAT ADVICE DO YOU HAVE FOR
OTHER PEOPLE OUT THERE THAT MAY
BE GOING THROUGH THIS? I MEAN
IT IS COLORECTAL CANCER MONTH.
I MEAN IT'S SOMETHING WE SHOULD
ALL BE AWARE OF . WELL, MY
ADVICE FOR PEOPLE REALLY IS TO
TRY NOT TO LET YOURSELF GET TO
THE POINT THAT I WAS AT WHERE
ACTUAL CANCER WAS DIAGNOSED. WE
HAVE COLON CANCER SCREENING
REGIMENS THAT ARE VERY
EFFECTIVE. CERTAINLY THE
COLONOSCOPY HAS BEEN THE GOLD
STANDARD WHERE YOU'RE ABLE TO
GO UP WITH A CAMERA. THE
PATIENT IS ASLEEP. IT'S VERY
EASY AND WHAT WE HOPE TO FIND
IS NOT CANCER BUT THE
PRECANCEROUS POLYPS THAT WE
KNOW TAKE SEVERAL YEARS TO
DEVELOP INTO CANCER AND THEN
DURING THAT TEST THEY CAN
REMOVE THOSE POLYPS AND PREVENT
THEM FROM TURNING INTO CANCER.
YOU KNOW, WE CAN'T PREVENT
CANCER. WE CAN'T PREVENT CANCER
OR OVARIAN CANCER. WE ACTUALLY
CAN TAKE AN ACTIVE ROLE IN
PREVENTION OF COLON CANCER WITH
THE COLONOSCOPY. REAL QUICK
BEFORE WE GO, DR. SPEZIALE, IS
THERE ANYTHING WE CAN DO WITH
OUR LIFESTYLE CHANGES THAT CAN
CAN PREVENT THIS FROM
HAPPENING? THAT'S A GREAT
QUESTION. SO HOPEFULLY DR.
BOONE IS THE MODEL OF HEALTH.
SO SHE'S THAT GOAL WEIGHT SHE
EATS A GREAT PLANT BASED DIET.
SHE DOESN'T SMOKE AND THEN
MINIMAL ALCOHOL USE. THOSE ARE
ALL THINGS THAT WE THINK CAN
HELP REDUCE YOUR CANCER RISK.
DR. BOONE AND DR. SPEZIALE,
THANKS SO MUCH FOR COMING ON
THE SHOW HERE TO DISCUSS THIS
VERY IMPORTANT MONTH THAT WE
ARE ALL GOING THROUGH HERE AND
THE GREAT INFORMATION YOU
PROVIDED HERE. AND YOU CAN ALSO