Get Your Rear In Gear Calls For Catching Colon Cancer Early

Staff at the Seidman Cancer Center at University Hospitals Parma Medical Center used the striking visual of an inflatable colon to draw attention to the importance of early detection of cancer. Pictured, from left, are: Anmarie Haynes, oncology social worker; Debbie D'Ambrosia, RN; Shirley Sheehan, patient care assistant; Chris Maykut, RN; and Tracy Koehl, RN.

A huge inflatable walk-through colon on display at University Hospitals (UH) Seidman Cancer Center at UH Parma Medical Center was a visual reminder during Colon Cancer Awareness Month in March that it may be time to schedule a screening.

Early diagnosis is the key to prevention for the third most common cancer diagnosed in both men and women in the United States. As many as 90 percent of colon cancer cases are curable when diagnosed in early stages. A colon screening, by either a stool test or an imaging procedure, is recommended for men and women over age 50.

While one in 20 Americans will develop colon cancer, the death rate has dropped in recent years due to the rise in early screening. Most patients survive colon cancer if it is discovered early and removed. The larger-than-life display at the Seidman Cancer Center at UH Parma Medical Center, and later in the lobby of the main hospital, illustrated the difference between benign polyps, the fleshy growths in the lining of the colon, and advanced cancer.

Colon cancer is one of the top five cancers treated at the Seidman Cancer Center at UH Parma Medical Center, according to Manager Diana O’Donnell, RN.  

“Colon cancer is not a cancer that typically shows outward, abnormal signs in the early stages,” O’Donnell says. “This is why a routine colonoscopy is so important: it is the best way to detect early cancer. Persistent, abnormal GI symptoms (rectal bleeding, unresolved constipation) can be serious and should not be ignored.” 

CJ Sheppard

Communications Specialist, University Hospitals Parma Medical Center

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Volume 6, Issue 4, Posted 7:31 AM, 04.01.2014