>> MARCH IS NATIONAL COLORECTAL CANCER AWARENESS MONTH, AND
ACCORDING TO THE AMERICAN CANCER SOCIETY, COLORECTAL CANCER IS
THE SECOND LEADING CAUSE OF CANCER DEATH OF BOTH MEN AND
WOMEN COMBINED.
I SAT DOWN WITH DR.
KELLY TYLER, THE CHIEF OF COLORECTAL SURGERY
AT BAYSTATE MEDICAL CENTER AND HER PATIENT, KEITH O'CONNOR, WHO
WORKS IN PUBLIC RELATIONS FOR BAYSTATE.
O'CONNOR SHARED HIS PERSONAL STORY OF GETTING PAST
THE FEAR OF A COLONOSCOPY.
>> WE HAVE AN AWARENESS MONTH BECAUSE WE WANT TO GET PEOPLE IN
THE PUBLIC TO UNDERSTAND COLON CANCER IS COMMON.
WE HEAR ABOUT BREAST CANCER AND LUNG CANCER.
COLON AND RECTUM AREN'T AN AREA PEOPLE ARE COMFORTABLE TALKING
ABOUT.
1 IN 25 PEOPLE WILL DEVELOP THIS IN THEIR LIFETIME.
WE LIKE TO PROMOTE SCREENING.
WE CAN, A, AVOID PEOPLE DEVELOPING CANCER.
BUT, B, WE CAN FIND CANCERS AT AN EARLIER STAGE.
>> WHEN YOU GO IN FOR THE SCREENING IF A POLLU P IS FOUND,
WHAT'S THE FOLLOW UP FOR THAT?
>> IT CAN BE VARIED.
IF IT DOESN'T HAVE A CERTAIN TYPE OF CELL IN IT, YOU CAN GET
TOLD 5 TO 10 YEARS.
IF YOU HAVE A LARGE ONE, IT COULD BE AS EARLY AS 6 MONTHS.
DEPENDENT ON WHAT IS FOUND.
>> WHEN YOU TALK ABOUT SCREENING, LET'S DESCRIBE WHAT
SCREENING MEANS.
IT'S WHAT A LOT OF PEOPLE ARE AFRAID OF.
WALK US THROUGH THAT PROCESS.
>> SURE.
I CAN GIVE YOU THE BASICS AND WOULD BE GREAT TO GET A PATIENT
PERSPECTIVE ON THAT.
YOU ARE GOING TO COME IN FOR A PROCEDURE THAT LASTS 20 TO 40
MINUTES.
THE DAY BEFORE YOU HAVE TO DO A PREPARATION.
PEOPLE WILL CALL THAT THE PREP AND CLEAN OUT THE COLON AND
RECTUM AND YOU GET A SEDATION MEDICATION WHEN YOU ARE THERE
GETTING YOUR PROCEDURE.
SOMETIMES IT'S DONE IN AN OUTPATIENT AREA OF A HOSPITAL
AND SOMETIMES AT A SURGERY CENTER.
THE PROCEDURE ITSELF YOU GET SEDATED SO YOU DON'T KNOW WHAT'S
GOING ON. AND THE PERSON PROVIDING THAT
CARE WHICH IS OFTEN THE GASTROENTEROLOGIST AND WE PASS A
CAMERA THROUGH AND IF WE SEE A MASS WHICH COULD BE A CANCER,
WE'LL DO A BIOPSY.
WE CAN REMOVE THEM AT THE TIME OF THE COLONOSCOPY.
>> AS A DOCTOR, YOU KNOW MANY, MANY PEOPLE ARE AFRAID.
I KNOW THAT WAS YOUR SITUATION.
YOU REALLY WERE PUTTING THIS OFF.
COMMON STORY FOR SO MANY PEOPLE.
>> I WANTED TO TELL THE STORY SO OTHER PEOPLE CAN BENEFIT BY IT.
I'VE WRITTEN ABOUT IT OFTEN WORKING IN THE PUBLIC RELATIONS
OFFICE.
I SENT OUT STORIES FOR COLORECTAL CANCER MONTH URGING
PEOPLE TO GET SCREENED.
BUT I DIDN'T TAKE MY OWN ADVICE.
TOOK ME 15 YEARS TO LISTEN TO MY OWN ADVICE.
FINALLY GOT OVER THE FEAR.
I HAD TO VISIT KELLY FOR A PROBLEM I WAS HAVING.
SHE LOOKED AND SAID YOU HAVEN'T HAD A COLONOSCOPY, HAVE YOU?
>> EVER.
>> I SAID I'M 15 YEARS OVER DUE.
I'LL DO IT IF YOU'LL DO IT.
SHE SAID YES AND I WENT FOR IT.
>> SO YOU WENT THROUGH THE PROCESS.
>> WENT THROUGH THE PROCESS.
AND I HAVE TO TELL YOU, IT'S NOTHING.
PEOPLE COMPLAIN ABOUT THE PREP.
I HAD TO DRINK EIGHT-8 OUNCE GLASSES OF GATORADE WITH A
LAXTIVE IN IT.
YOU ARE TASTING THE GATORADE.
YOU HAVE TO DRINK THE 8 GLASSES IN TWO HOURS.
I DIDN'T FIND THAT A PROBLEM.
AND WHAT FOLLOWS IS SOME TIME IN THE BATHROOM TO CLEAN YOU OUT.
I FOUND THAT NO PROBLEM AT ALL.
WHEN I WENT IN FOR THE PROCEDURE RGS I JUST REMEMBER THEM PUTTING
ME TO SLEEP.
SEEMS LIKE I WOKE UP FIVE MINUTES LATER AND ALL I COULD
SAY WAS AM I OKAY?
THAT WAS THE FEAR.
I WASN'T AFRAID OF THE PROCEDURE AT ALL BECAUSE I KNEW WHAT IT
ENTA ENTAILED.
>> AS FAR AS WHO SHOULD BE GOING, WHAT'S THE AGE AND GIVE
US RISK FACTORS AS WELL.
>> SURE.
THAT'S A GREAT MESSAGE TO GET OUT TO PEOPLE.
GENERAL SCREENING IS RECOMMENDED AT AGE 50.
THE AMERICAN CANCER SOCIETY JUST CHANGED IT AFTER DOING A STUDY
OF MANY STUDIES TO THE AGE OF 45 FOR ALL PEOPLE.
SO THAT IS A NORMAL RISK PERSON.
BUT ANY PERSON WHO HAS A FIRST DEGREE RELATIVE.
A MOM, A SISTER A BROTHER WITH COLORECTAL DIAGNOSIS OR A PERSON
WHO HAS INFLAMMATORY BOWEL DISEASE NEEDS TO TALK TO THEIR
DOCTOR ABOUT WHEN THEY NEED TO DO THEIR SCREENING.
THERE ARE FAMILIES THAT HAVE GENETIC SYNDROMES AND MAY NEED
TO START IN THEIR 20s.
BUT THAT'S 1% OF THE POPULATION.
>> ARE THERE CERTAIN RISK FACTORS AS YOU ARE LOOKING AT A
PATIENT?
>>> THERE'S QUITE A FEW.
FAMILY HISTORY IS NUMBER ONE.
THERE'S BEEN A LOT OF STUDIES ABOUT LIFESTYLE, DIET.
HOW MUCH FIBER ARE YOU EATING?
WE'VE SEEN STUDIED ASPIRIN.
ALL KINDS OF THINGS.
IT'S HARD TO PUT ALL OF THAT TOGETHER AND LOOK AT SOMEONE AND
SAY YOU ATE THIS AND TOOK ASPIRIN.
BUT YOU DIDN'T DO THIS.
REALLY WE RELY ON THE SCREENING GUIDELINES.
THE DATA IS SHOWING THERE'S GREAT DATA SHOWING THAT BECAUSE
OF OUR SCREENING EFFORTS AT LEAST IN OLDER ADULTS, THE
INCIDENTS IS SLOWLY TRENDING DOWN AND WE BELIEVE IT'S BECAUSE
OF COLONOSCOPY.
OUR CONCERN NOW STARTS TO BE IN THE YOUNGER POPULATION.
THAT DATA CAME OUT ABOUT TWO YEARS AGO WHERE WE'RE FINDING
PEOPLE UNDER 50 ARE AT MORE AND MORE RISK OF DEVELOPING
COLORECTAL CANCER.
>> THE SURVIVOR RATE IS HIGHER IF EVERYTHING IS DETECTED EARLY
WHICH IS THE PUSH TO GET PEOPLE TO DO THIS.
>> IT IS.
IT'S ASTOUNDING THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN AN EARLY STAGE CANCER
AND LATER STAGE CANCER.
COLORECTAL CANCER AS WELL.
THE OUTCOMES FOR PATIENTS.
>> WHAT WOULD YOU SAY THE SYMPTOMS ARE FOR PEOPLE WHO
MAYBE HAVE LAPSED AND NOT GONE IN FOR A COLONOSCOPY?
ARE THEY FEELING SOMETHING?
>> NO.
CANCER IS ALMOST ALWAYS WITHOUT SYMPTOMS.
WHEN THERE ARE SYMPTOMS, THAT'S NOT USUALLY GOOD BECAUSE IT
MEANS IT'S PROBABLY MORE ADVANCED.
THE BEST PRACTICAL ADVICE I CAN GIVE TO ANYONE IS THAT IF YOU
HAVE BLEEDING, DON'T ASSUME IT'S A HEMORRHOID.
I'VE HAD PEOPLE COME WHO I'M CARING FOR AND THEY'LL SAY I WAS
BLEEDING FOR A YEAR AND I ASSUMED IT WAS A HEMORRHOID.
>> SO YOUR FINAL ADVICE TO SOMEBODY STILL FEARFUL AND
THINKING OF DELAYING.
>> DO IT.
I HAD THREE SMALL POLLOPS.
NOT CANCEROUS.
HAD I WAITED ANOTHER FIVE YEARS, DON'T KNOW WHAT WOULD HAVE
HAPPENED.
BELIEVE ME, YOU'LL HAVE A BIG WEIGHT OFF YOUR SHOULDER.
I WORRIED FOR 15 YEARS THAT I MIGHT HAVE SOMETHING WITHOUT
DOING SOMETHING ABOUT IT.
I HAVE THIS TREMENDOUS WEIGHT OFF MY SHOULDERS.
FEEL SO MUCH HEALTHIER JUST FROM A SCREENING.