KPLC 7 News, Lake Charles, Louisiana |Early Screenings to Identify Colorectal Cancer
Member Center:
Reported by: Britney Glaser
Colorectal cancer is the second most deadly cancer for both men and women in this country. But, doctors say early colorectal screenings can stop pre-cancerous cells before they multiply with early screenings. For those who waited too late, like Raymond Thompson of Sulphur, the consequences can be serious.
70-year-old Raymond Thompson is a husband, father, grandfather...even a great-grandfather. But he's also one of 42 million Americans over the age of 50 who did not get an early screening for colorectal cancer. "I went to the doctor last November," says Raymond, "and I told him that I had found blood in my stool and he said, 'when was your last colonoscopy,' and I said, 'never.'"
On that November day, the doctor gave Raymond his first colonoscopy. "The colonoscopy discovered a tumor in the descending colon," says Raymond. The tumor was removed, but a PET scan a few weeks later showed that the cancer had spread. "It had moved into the liver with numerous lesions," says Raymond, "and the doctor said it was important to start treatment as early as possible."
Raymond is now undergoing chemotherapy at Lake Charles Memorial Hospital for a cancer that is too advanced at this point to stop. "It is an incurable situation," says Raymond, "so they're just trying to prolong life in a healthy manner."
Dr. Alan LeBato, Medical Director and clinical instructor with the LSU Health Services Center at Lake Charles Memorial says early screenings are key in identifying potentially cancerous polyps before they multiply. "The most common signs of colorectal cancer are bleeding from the rectum or dark and tarry stools that are more of a black in color," says Dr. LeBato, "but colon cancer can be very silent. It can grow for 10-15 years before it becomes large enough to cause symptoms."
People over the age of 50 or as young as 30 if there's a family history of colorectal cancer, should get one of these tests:
1) A colonoscopy that examines the entire colon every ten years.
2) Flexible sigmoidoscopy that examines just the lower half every five years.
3) A barium enema every five years.
4) Or a virtual colonoscopy that uses x-rays every five years.
*People without the money or coverage for those tests should have certain tests for blood in the stool every year.
Dr. LeBato says, "If we can screen for it and detect it early, then we can possibly cut down the number of cancer deaths."
Raymond says in spite of his prognosis, there has been something positive to come out of it all - awareness among his friends. "There's been at least six of my close friends that have gone for a colonoscopy that have never had it before," says Raymond, "and two of the six had pre-cancerous polyps that could be treated."
**From Wednesday, April 2nd through Friday, April 4th, free colorectal screening kits can be picked up at the LSU Health Sciences Family Practice Center at 1525 Oak Park Boulevard across from Lake Charles Memorial Hospital. Call 337-494-6767 for more information.
