16 HamiltonHealth.com/hpg
A C O LO N O S C O P Y
Lisa Scott
If you are age 50 or older, or have a family history of colon
cancer, it’s time to ask your primary care provider about
getting a colonoscopy.
Don’t worry. Getting a colonoscopy isn’t as bad as you might
think–and it isn’t like it used to be. In fact, the colonoscopy of
today is more comfortable, more accurate, and requires much
less preparation and recovery time than in years past.
Colonoscopies don’t just detect potential problems, they
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immediately remove precancerous polyps. Colon cancer often
has no symptoms. Unless you have a colonoscopy, you may not
know that you have this deadly disease.
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says Lisa Scott. “It was just a routine test. But then Dr.
Marcadis told me that he found something. It was colon
cancer.”
Lisa’s cancer was at stage one. It was discovered very
early which allowed Daniel Marcadis, MD, of Hamilton
Physician Group-Gastroenterology and Steven Paynter,
MD, of Hamilton Physician Group-General Surgery to
share the good news with Lisa that only surgery would be
needed–no chemotherapy or radiation.
“I was very blessed,” says Lisa. “Early detection of
cancer is so important. I can’t stress the importance of
colonoscopies enough. A colonoscopy saved my life.”
The risk factors for colorectal cancer include: 1
• having someone in your family who has had polyps or
colorectal cancer
• ����������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������
disease, such as ulcerative colitis and Crohn’s disease
• having Lynch syndrome, or another genetic disorder
that increases the risk of colorectal cancer
• being African American (African-Americans have
the highest rate of death and shortest survival for
colorectal cancer) 2
• being overweight
• using tobacco
THE BENEFIT OF NEW TECHNOLOGY
Hamilton Medical Center uses Olympus technology
for colonoscopy procedures. Known for expertise in
photography, Olympus allows doctors to better see the
GI tract. This advanced equipment increases patient
comfort and allows for shorter procedure times.
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SAVED MY LIFE
Physician Group
1National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases
2American Cancer Society
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