Mountain Doctor: Colon cancer screening sank during a pandemic.Uptic Case | News, Sports, Work

According to Intermountain Healthcare, colon cancer screening in Utah has declined by 50% since the onset of the pandemic. Because of this, doctors have a 15% increase in cases of colon cancer.

At a press conference on Wednesday, two mountain doctors expressed concern about these numbers and urged Utahns to refrain from delaying such screening any further.

“I think I’m overwhelmed by everything that’s happening at COVID,” said Dr. Nathan Merriman, a gastroenterologist at Intermountain. “There have been many postponements of screening, but with the decline in COVID patients, it is safe to return, and in fact, especially this month is Colon Cancer Awareness Month, so I encourage it.”

Meriman said many people were hesitant to undergo regular health examinations during the pandemic. He said some of his patients waited 4 to 9 months for rectal bleeding before seeing their doctor.

“It’s too long to wait,” he said. “Some people downplay their symptoms. They will continue to bleed for months, and they will just say,” Oh, that’s probably hemorrhoids. ” And although many people have hemorrhoids, persistent symptoms should always be assessed. “

Dr. Mark Lewis, an oncologist at Intermountain, said colon cancer is primarily a preventable disease. By the time the patient arrived in his office, the cancer had progressed.

“I see an increase of 15% in people late in colorectal cancer,” Lewis said. “If you can find this at the polyp level, you may not need to meet an oncologist like me. In fact, I’m sure you don’t want to see me in the professional arena.”

According to Lewis, colon cancer is the third most common cancer overall and one of the most deadly cancers. However, this is also one of the most preventable methods.

“Everyone has a colon, but many don’t like talking about this issue,” he said. “It’s really important for people to sit down and talk about family history. I have to tell you how important it is to overcome discomfort and reach the truth. You are the other. I want to know as much as possible what kind of illness is happening in your family, including cancer of the organs of the body. If you are a woman and have a history of endometrial cancer, it is for us. It’s very important. “

Symptoms of colon cancer include rectal bleeding, stool stenosis, weight loss, and abdominal pain, according to Lewis. It’s a bit common in the male and African-American communities. There is also a theory that childhood antibiotic abuse can cause colon cancer in later years. Risk factors include family history of colon cancer, ulcerative colitis, and inflammatory bowel disease.

“It’s very easy for us to guess the cause of benign, but we’ve seen so many cases of bleeding that nothing is written,” Lewis said. “We are socially focused on weight, but we don’t want to see unintentional weight loss with abdominal pain. It’s a big red flag that something is wrong.”

Another reason that may delay people from undergoing colonoscopy is preparatory work, Merriman said.

“That’s probably the most challenging part,” Merriman said. “But we’re always trying to improve it, and patients have told us that it’s much better than before. It’s tolerable, not terrible.”

Merriman said he entered gastroenterology because of his primary focus on preventive care.

“When I was 13, a fire broke out at home and my parents were killed. My brother and I did it. He was 11 and our parents were 38 and 39. I was old, “he said. “I did a lot of work to understand how things happen and how we can make things better and prevent tragedy. Both my parents smoked The fire was caused by the ashtray being turned over. “

Merriman said they might be alive today if their parents weren’t crazy about smoking.

“That’s what drives me. It has this amazing ability to prevent pain by identifying polyps in the colon, removing them, and preventing the cancer chain,” he said. “If you have an average risk, you should participate in the screening from the age of 45. If you don’t know when you need to participate in the screening, ask for help.”

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