WIKY Wants You To Know About Your Health

 

March is Colorectal Cancer Awareness Month, and a good time to learn more about Colorectal Cancer (cancer of the colon and rectum) and how it can be prevented or best treated.
 

How Can You Reduce Your Risk?

The risk of getting colorectal cancer increases with age. More than 90% of cases occur in people who are 50 years old or older. Colorectal cancer screening saves lives, but many people are not being screened according to national guidelines.

If you're 50 years old or older, getting a screening test for colorectal cancer could save your life. Here's how—

  • Colorectal cancer screening tests can find precancerous polyps so they can be removed before they turn into cancer. In this way, colorectal cancer is prevented.
  • Screening tests also can find colorectal cancer early, when treatment often leads to a cure.

Has the Hero in Your Life Been Screened?

Figures like Superman, Wonder Woman and Batman are seen as heroes throughout the world, but not all heroes wear capes and masks. We all know people who are doing amazing things to make the world a better place. This March, we want you to ask the heroes in your life to put the superhuman duties aside and take a minute for themselves by getting screened for colon cancer.

As the second leading cause of cancer death in the United States, colon cancer is up to 90 percent preventable through screening. If the heroes in your life are at high risk, age 50 or older, or if they have a family history of the disease, you could save their lives by urging them to get screened. So this March, talk to the hero in your life about colon cancer and make sure their butt is screened!

What is Colorectal Cancer?

Approximately 140,000 new cases of Colorectal Cancer are diagnosed every year. This type of cancer is the third most commonly diagnosed cancer in the U.S. and the third leading cause of cancer death.
 
Your colon is part of your digestive system, also known as your large intestines. 
 
Polyps are small growths that can develop inside your colon. They are usually harmless, but certain types of polyps can turn into cancer if they are not removed.
 
A colonoscopy is a procedure that is done by a Colorectal Surgeon. The doctor uses a long scope that contains a small camera. Using this high tech device, he can see inside your colon to determine if you have any polyps. You are sedated for the exam, so you are very comfortable.
 
The good news is Colorectal Cancer can be prevented! If polyps are found early, during a colonoscopy, they can be removed before they have chance to turn into cancer. 
 
Anyone age 50 or over should have a screening colonoscopy. Also anyone with a family history of colon or rectal cancer or polyps should be screened. If you have rectal bleeding, blood in your stool, low abdominal pain, rectal pain or change in your bowel habits, you should also be evaluated.
 
The Board Certified Surgeons at Ohio Valley Colon & Rectal Surgeons have been part of the Evansville medical community for over 50 years. Our highly trained physicians are experts in the surgical and nonsurgical treatment of colon and rectal problems.
 
Studies have shown that patients treated by colorectal surgeons are more likely to survive colorectal cancer and experience fewer complications. This is attributed to colorectal surgeons advanced training and the high volume of colon and rectal disease surgeries they perform.
 
Contact Ohio Valley Colon & Rectal Surgeons to schedule an appointment. No doctor referral is required; we accept all major insurance plans and procedures can be scheduled at St. Mary’s and Deaconess facilities.
 
Visit our website www.colonsurgeons.com for more information about Colorectal Cancer and other diseases of the Colon & Rectum
 
Ohio Valley Colon & Rectal Surgeons
801 St. Mary’s Drive, Suite 300 West
Evansville, IN 47714
800-371-1169 or 812-477-9241
 

WHY GO TO OHIO VALLEY COLON & RECTAL SURGEONS?

Board Certification by the American Board of Surgery is an important undertaking that involves continued medical education, rigorous testing and the knowledge of a broad range of conditions treated by general surgeons.  At Ohio Valley Colon & Rectal Surgeons all of our physicians are board certified in both general surgery and colon & rectal surgery, ensuring that our patients receive the highest quality medical care.   

We strive to be on the cutting edge of technology which is why we offer the latest minimally invasive laparoscopic and robotic surgeries.   For a consultation or second opinion for colorectal disorders including colon & rectal cancer, diverticulitis, crohn’s disease, ulcerative colitis, colon cancer screening, hemorrhoids, fissures, fistulas, abscess or fecal incontinence please contact our office.  No doctor referral is required.

Other physicians in the area can provide colonoscopies or surgery, but Ohio Valley Colon & Rectal Surgeons is the only practice that offers every level of colorectal care. 

It’s your health.  You have a choice and at Ohio Valley Colon & Rectal Surgeons, we want to be your doctors.

Visit our www.colonsurgeons.com for more info or call 477-9241 for an appointment.

GET YOUR REAR IN GEAR

Methodist Gastroenterology and the Henderson Regional Hospital Foundation invite you to "Get Your Rear in Gear" during national colorectal cancer awareness month in March.  Join us on Saturday, March 16, for a 5K run/walk departing from Methodist Hospital.  Walk in honor or in memory of someone.  Tour the giant colon and get the facts.  Early screening increases your chances for a cure.  All proceeds will benefit uninsured patients with digestive healthcare.  Visit www.methodisthospital.net for more information.

During national colorectal cancer awareness month, WIKY wants you to know that colorectal cancer affects men and women of all racial and ethnic groups, and is most often found in people aged 50 years or older. In the United States, it is the third most common cancer for men and women.  Methodist Gastroenterology encourages you to talk to your doctor about preventative screening, especially at age 50 and beyond.  Find more information at www.methodisthospital.net.

More Information can be found at:

Colon Cancer Alliance

March Is National Colorectal Cancer Awareness Month