Colon Cancer Awareness Month
CAMBRIDGE, Ohio- March is Colon Cancer Awareness Month and one area hospital is creating conversation, in a big way.
Southeastern Med in Cambridge is the home to the ‘Super Colon,’ an inflatable colon replica that is raising awareness for colon cancer and the importance of colonoscopy’s.
Dr. Michael Sarap is not only the Chief of Surgery at Southeastern Med, but he’s also the head of the Tina Kaiser Cancer Coalition and the Commission on Cancer Program for Ohio, respectively, making him an advocate for this topic.
“Colon cancer is one cancer that we have a test that allows us to find a condition in a benign state that will allow us to take a benign polyp out and cure a cancer before it has a chance to start; very few cancers are like that,” said Dr. Sarap.
He stressed the importance of getting checked out.
“Everybody ‘ought to have a screening test whether its a colonoscopy or a stool test at age 50, and then every 10 years if that’s normal,” said Dr. Sarap.
However, he said if you have symptoms, then you should consult your doctor about getting a colonoscopy earlier than age 50. The symptoms of colon cancer can be rectal bleeding, a change in bowel habits, abdominal pain and cramping.
Colon cancer is the second leading killer of cancers in the country, including both men and women. But, if caught early can save lives.
“There’s a national initiative by the American Cancer Society and other groups that are involved in cancer treatment that wants us to do 80 percent, meaning we want to capture 80 percent of the appropriate population in the United States to have their colon screening done by 2018,” said Dr. Sarap. “If we do that successfully we can save potentially 35,000 lives by finding cancer at an earlier stage and curing it or preventing it in the first place.”
He said that Guernsey County was formerly ranked the second worst county in Ohio for average rate of late stage colon cancer. However, over the last 10 years they have cut their percentage in half, gaining national notoriety for their efforts, even receiving national and state recognition and awards.
Some of their efforts, including the ‘Super Colon’ inflatable, were made through their Tina Kaiser Cancer Concern Coalition.
“[It was] named after one of our original members that had late stage colon cancer and she lost her battle with us,” said Dr. Sarap.
He said that colon cancer is commonly mistaken as hemorrhoids or colitis. It’s believed it may be caused by obesity, lack of exercise, poor diet and not enough fruits and vegetables, though genetics also play a factor.
“There is a genetic test to see if it runs in the family, so there are things you can do to prevent it,” Dr. Sarap said.
The ‘Super Colon’ prop was created as a strategy to create conversation about the topic. It has traveled to over 100 events in three states to spread the important, and potentially life saving, message.
