One in three Quad Citians is At-risk for Colon Cancer: Local Gastroenterologists Develop New Online Screening Test to Save Lives
2/19/2009Local Gastroenterologists Develop New Online Screening Test to Save Lives
(February 2009) – March is colon cancer awareness month. According to 2000 U.S. Census data, nearly 90,000 people or about one third of Quad City metro area residents is 50 years or older – putting them at increased risk for the third largest cancer killer in America. The American Cancer Society recommends people over age 50 get screened for the disease.
“I also see pre-cancerous polyps in just about one out of every three Quad City patients who actually undergo a colonoscopy,” says Bavikatte Shivakumar, M.D., Gastrointestinal Clinic of the Quad Cities. “This disease is a silent killer, and you don’t want to wait until you have symptoms to schedule a screening. However the good news is that it’s 90% survivable with early detection.”
Log on. Live on.
To combat the both the fear and common procrastination of scheduling a colonoscopy, both the Gastrointestinal Clinic of the Quad Cities and Eastern Iowa Gastroenterology are launching a full-scale awareness campaign to educate local residents and save lives. The clinics have developed one of the nation’s first online colon cancer risk assessment tools at becoloncancerfree.com. Web visitors can take the assessment test, learn about the disease, read about Quad City area colon cancer survivors, or send an e-postcard to remind family and friends to take the risk assessment.
“We know it’s easy to find excuses not to schedule a colonoscopy, so we developed this online assessment so people could privately learn about risk factors on their own time and in comfortable surroundings,” explains Gastroenterologist Lauri Harsh, D.O., Eastern Iowa Gastroenterology. “My worry is that not only the people over aged 50 are at risk, but so are the adult children or siblings of those with colon cancer. Those first-degree relatives need to get screened also.”
Colon Cancer Survivor
Davenport residents Rosane and Elba Turner are advocates of colonoscopies after Rosane waited until she was 71 to get her first screening. “I had always put off the colonoscopy because I was so busy” she recalls. Her husband had two colonoscopies and polyps removed both times, but she never found the time to get one scheduled. Dr. Harsh performed Rosane’s colonoscopy and discovered colon cancer. The tumor was surgically removed before it spread. “I tell everyone ‘Go get that colonoscopy,’” says Rosane. “I feel very blessed we caught it early. My daughter just turned 50. She has already had the colonoscopy. My son is 54 and needs to have one, too. He keeps putting it off, but he says he’s going to have it done.”