According to Gregory Moore, a retired 65-year-old who lives in Tempe, a colonoscopy saved his life.
“I was just going about my everyday routine; I had no idea that I had cancer,” said Moore. “My first colonoscopy revealed several polyps, and I was told that one of them was malignant. That’s when the fear set in.”
After four rounds of chemotherapy, Moore – a husband of 46 years and father of two grown children and four precious grandchildren – has been cancer-free.
“I will never miss a regular check-up again – especially one that involves a colonoscopy. It’s something that will always be a routine procedure in my life,” said Moore.
With March being Colon Cancer Awareness Month, Mountain Vista Medical Center in Mesa is helping educate Valley residents by hosting an informative seminar this Friday, March 13 at Noon with Sharon Magalona, NP, to talk about the risk factors, importance of screenings and treatment options available.
To RSVP for the seminar, attendees must call 1-877-924-WELL (9355). Mountain Vista Medical Center is located at 1301 S. Crismon Road, Mesa.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) says that routine screenings could help prevent at least 60 percent of the deaths caused by colon cancer.
Colorectal cancer (also known as colon cancer), is the third most common cancer and the third leading cause of cancer deaths among men and women in the United States. Because March is Colorectal Cancer Awareness Month, doctors at Mountain Vista Medical Center are reminding adults over 40 years of age about the importance of regular colon cancer screenings.
Sudhakar Reddy, M.D., a gastroenterologist on the medical staff at Mountain Vista Medical Center, recommends for anyone experiencing blood in their stool, anemia, a change in bowel habits, narrowed stool, a close family history of colon and other GI cancers, or a history of inflammatory bowel disease talk to a gastroenterologist about scheduling a diagnostic colon exam.
“It’s a preventable cancer in a significant number of patients,” Dr. Reddy said, emphasizing why colonoscopies are such an important screening tool.
“Nearly 90 percent of people diagnosed with colon cancer are 50 years of age or older,” said Dr. Reddy, who screened Moore. “However, people with a family history of colon cancer or other gastrointestinal (GI) cancers, or those experiencing symptoms should begin screening at age 40, or about 10 years younger than the earliest diagnosis in the family.”
For a physician referral to a gastroenterologist at Mountain Vista Medical Center, call 1-877-924-WELL (9355).
