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Colonoscopy for Early Detection
Reviewed By:
Louise Chang,
SOURCES: This Video is from the WebMD Video Archive. 2008 Medical Reference from Medstar Television. Harvey Murff, MD, General Internist, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN.
© 1999-2011 Medstar Television
Narrator:
Learning he had colon cancer was unexpected news to Dwight Lewis.
Dwight Lewis, Colon Cancer Survivor:
And he looked me straight in the eyes, and he said, I have no other way of telling you this, but you have a tumor on the upper left-hand side of your colon and it needs to come out immediately.
Narrator:
Dwight was fortunate — his cancer was completely removed. But his doctor had a stern warning.
Dwight Lewis, Colon Cancer Survivor:
If you'd just waited a little while longer, you would have started to have symptoms and you'd a been dead meat.
Narrator:
Dwight had a colonosopy on doctor's orders, but not everyone who needs the test gets that message.
Harvey Murff, MD, MPH, General Internist, Vanderbilt University Medical Center:
In the African-American respondents, roughly about 20% of those who are at pretty high risk had reported that they'd undergone the testing, while closer to about 40% in the Caucasians.
Narrator:
Doctor Murff's study looked at thousands of people with a family history of colon cancer… many never had a colonoscopy.
Harvey Murff, MD, MPH, General Internist, Vanderbilt University Medical Center:
And the most common reason in both categories was that their doctor never had recommended it.
Narrator:
Part of the reason was the patient's perceived risk… and sharing that fear with a doctor.
Harvey Murff, MD, MPH, General Internist, Vanderbilt University Medical Center:
The white respondents were much more likely to think they, they were at increased risk of getting cancer based on their family history.
Narrator:
Doctor Murff recommends talking to relatives and then sharing that medical history with your doctor.
Harvey Murff, MD, MPH, General Internist, Vanderbilt University Medical Center:
There could be definite changes in the way that, that a person will be managed. They might, they might be a candidate for getting these tests at an earlier age.
Narrator:
Tests that could save your life and change your family history for the better. For WebMD, I'm Damon Meharg.
