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Siteman''s “Wildly Light” Events Highlight Disease Awareness
March 3, 2008, ST. LOUIS – It''s said no one needs to die from colon cancer. Despite that, it''s still the second leading cause of cancer death.
The reason is screening colonoscopy. While it''s the gold standard for catching colon cancer at its earliest stages, it is all too often skipped. March is colon cancer awareness month and doctors are getting the message out about screening and surgery.
“We now know if you can get the colon cancer as a polyp - which is the little growth in the lining of the colon - before it becomes a cancer, you can stop colon cancer and cure it before it even happens,” says Jim Fleshman, MD, chief of colorectal surgery at the Siteman Cancer Center at Barnes-Jewish Hospital and Washington University School of Medicine. “We think colonoscopy is the way to go in terms of screening and also treating colon cancer at an early stage.”
Dr. Fleshman will talk more about screening at the annual “Wildly Light and Lusciously Low Fat” seminars hosted by the Siteman Cancer Center, Tuesday, March 25 from 7 to 8:30 p.m. at East Central College Union, MO and Thursday, April 3, 2008 from 7 to 8:30 p.m. at the Jefferson College Student Center in Hillsboro, MO.
The event will also include an attendance gift, nutritional information from a registered dietitian, and a chef will provide samples of a high fiber recipe. Dr. Fleshman will focus on advances in colon cancer surgery and the importance of screening.
“I tell people who are afraid of colonoscopy, that this could save your life,” he says. “This is better than anything else we''ve ever come up with to screen for cancer, it is more efficient and it''s safe.”
As a surgeon, Dr. Fleshman says colon cancer surgery has changed dramatically over the past few years. Through what are called laparoscopic procedures making only a couple of tiny cuts on the body, surgeons are able in most cases to remove the colon cancer with much less pain to the patient.
“The surgery for colon cancer now can be done through a minimally invasive approach,” says Dr. Fleshman. “This means that they have smaller incisions, less time in the hospital, less pain and earlier recovery at home so they can resume all of their pre-operative activities much sooner.”
For more information about colon cancer or to register for the upcoming “Wildly Light” events, call the Siteman Cancer Center at 800-600-3606.
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