"Thank you, Dr. Stanley!" might seem like a strange caption to accompany the picture above, but I am very grateful to Dr. Stanley. Last month, he performed my third screening colonoscopy - and probably saved my life.

My Third Colonoscopy - Eight Polyps!
Colon cancer can strike at any age, but 9 out of 10 new cases are in people age 50 or older. Having passed my 60th birthday, I felt that I was due for another good checkup. I want to stay healthy so I can watch Mia, my new granddaughter grow up. She is our first and she is gorgeous. It's bad enough that I will be 80 when she turns 20, but I at least want to be healthy enough to enjoy those years with her.

What I don't want is to be prematurely cut down by some disease, particularly if it is preventable. At lot of bad things could happen to me over the next two decades, but I don't want colon cancer to be one of them. That is why I periodically undergo a screening colonoscopy examination. Five years ago, I had a colonoscopy and got a clean bill of health. No cancer. No polyps.

So it was time for another exam. Preparing for a colonoscopy is always annoying. Not being able to eat solid food for 24 hours and undergoing a laxative purging cannot be called fun, but it is not as bad as one would expect. As always, thanks to modern anesthesia drugs, the test itself, which only takes about twenty minutes, was a breeze. I didn't feel a thing and remembered nothing. It was like I just blinked and woke up in the recovery room with my wife at my side. Here is a photo taken during my exam:

Needless to say, I was quite surprised when Dr. Stanley walked in and informed me that he had found eight significant polyps in my colon! Fortunately, he was able to remove all eight while I slept comfortably during the colonoscopy exam. The photo below demonstrates how a colon polyp is removed during colonoscopy with a thin wire cautery snare:

Mine Were The Worst Kind
A polyp is a little growth of tissue inside the colon found in about 1 in 6 adults. It is not known why polyps develop, but there are different kinds of polyps - some more serious than others. A few days later, biopsies showed that my polyps were a serious type called villous adenomas. This is the worst kind of polyp one can have just short of cancer. Had they not been removed in time, I have no doubt that colon cancer would have prevented me from watching little Mia grow up.

Bad News About Colon Cancer
There is a lot of bad news. Colon cancer is common, silent and often deadly. Few individuals realize that colon cancer now affects about 1 in 17 Americans making it the second most common cause of cancer death in this country - second only to lung cancer. If you remove tobacco from the picture, colon cancer is actually the number one reason to die from cancer in the US today. The problem is there are no early warning symptoms. Many cases are diagnosed in advanced stages and, even with modern technology, only about 60% of individuals can be saved once diagnosed.

Great News About Colon Cancer
But, there is also great news. Colon cancer is somewhat unique in that we have had the ability to prevent it for over thirty years. When you think about it, this is quite different than most other malignancies such as cancer of the breast, lung, and prostate. These common cancers require that you have cancer before the doctor can even diagnose it. They cannot be prevented. Then you must suffer though the pain and anxiety of surgery, chemo, and radiation and pray that they found your cancer in time. Some make it and some do not. Those that don't survive usually undergo a slow demise - not a pretty picture.

But, I tell my patients that "colon cancer is great" since we have an effective tool to prevent it - screening colonoscopy. This is because almost all colon cancers begin as a small non-cancerous polyp on the inner wall of the colon. A polyp may grow for many years before cancer cells develop. Screening colonoscopy gives you a great opportunity to find and remove any polyps before cancer cells form. In this manner, a potential colon cancer can actually be prevented.

Preventative Maintenance
The problem is that polyps usually cause no warning symptoms. This means that you must see the doctor for a checkup when you feel well. I know that it is hard to take the time and put up with the inconvenience of seeing the doctor when you feel well. I don't like it either, but I know that you can't wait for symptoms to occur. By then, it may be too late. Consider it preventative maintenance - just like taking your car in for a State Inspection. If there is a problem with your car, of course you want it fixed before an accident occurs. The same process of prevention should apply to your body which is much more important than your car. This is why the American Cancer Society recommends periodic screening colonoscopy exams for all adults starting at age 50. Those with a family history of colon cancer or polyps should start at an earlier age and be checked more often.

Just Do It
I know that the very thought of having a colonoscopy is enough to make most people a little queasy. It's not the most comfortable thing to think or talk about. But, the facts are clear. Colonoscopy saves lives. We see it every week and I am a perfect example. If you are over 50 and have not yet had a colonoscopy, ask your family doctor why not. If you have already had a recent exam, share that experience with friends and family members. Encourage them to be tested as well. Who knows? You might just save a life. (See Video) It is just common sense to take the time to protect our good health. In fact, the American Cancer Society recently reported a nationwide drop in colon cancer deaths in due to an increase in screening and early detection. Screening worked for me and it can work for you too.

All I can say is thank goodness for colonoscopy. It will help me to watch little Mia grow up into a beautiful woman. And THANK YOU, Dr. Stanley!