New data confirms that fewer and fewer Americans are being diagnosed with colon cancer.
The good news is that new technology can remove early-stage cancers without surgery — but to catch them early, doctors say you need to get screened.
“I would follow the recommendations and get my polyps checked every 1 to 5 years.” said family physician William Kaplan.
He gets a regular colonoscopy. Last summer, doctors discovered a large, suspicious lump.
“I was in the immediate pre-cancer stage,” Kaplan said.
Conventional treatment requires removal of part of the colon. This means a long hospital stay and up to three months of recovery.
“Although this is the gold standard approach, it is still, ultimately, surgery,” said gastroenterologist Dr. Carl Kwok of Kaiser Permanente LA Medical Center.
He completely removed Kaplan’s precancerous tumor with a new, minimally invasive treatment that was similar to a colonoscopy for most patients.
“I was able to work the next day without any complications,” Kaplan said.
“This is an organ-preserving technique that allows patients to go home and basically go about their daily lives in a very short period of time.”
But to be eligible for an endoscopic submucosal dissection, the cancer must be caught in its early stages. The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force says all Americans need to start colonoscopies at age 45.
“This technique is most successful when the lesion is very, very small,” Kwok said.
new American Cancer Society report It found that more younger Americans are being diagnosed with colon cancer — many of them in advanced stages.
In people under 55, rates have nearly doubled from 11% in 1995 to 20% in 2019. One theory is that Americans sit more.
“Another hypothesis is our consumption of highly processed foods, especially foods that contain preservatives such as nitrates,” Kwok said.
Kwok recommends eating a Mediterranean-style diet and 150 minutes of moderate exercise per week.
Kaplan said that when reluctant patients hear how regular colonoscopies saved him, they take action.
“They change their minds regularly, and that gives me tremendous satisfaction,” he said.
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