Colon cancer patient urges others to have a colonoscopy

Nearly 18,000 people under the age of 50 will be diagnosed with colorectal cancer this year in the United States, according to the American Cancer Society. Because of the growing number of individuals diagnosed with colon cancer, Mercy Medical Center in Cedar Rapids recommends that men and women undergo a colonoscopy beginning at the age of 45, a new screening guideline. Byron Jackson received persistent recommendations from Bradley Beer’s, MD, to have a colonoscopy due to his age group. Because of that, his stage 1 colorectal cancer was detected by Mercy Gastroenterologist Ujjwal Kumar, MD.

Routine Colonoscopy

During a routine colonoscopy on February 11, 2022, Dr. Kumar noticed several polyps – small growths – in Byron’s colon, so he removed them and had them tested to see if any were cancerous. The next day, Byron was informed that one polyp was cancerous, and he was referred to Colorectal Surgeon Imran Hassan, MD, FACS, FASCRS, at Mercy’s General Surgery Clinic. Dr. Hassan is the area’s only fellowship-trained colorectal surgeon.

“On February 16th I met with Dr. Hassan, and he explained that they found several polyps during my colonoscopy, and one from my sigmoid colon had been removed and found to be cancerous,” Byron said. “He scheduled a flexible sigmoidoscopy for February 18th where he went in to determine the exact location of the tumor and to tattoo the site for surgery.”

On April 13, Dr. Hassan removed a portion of Byron’s sigmoid colon. Byron had many follow-up appointments with Dr. Hassan to ensure he was healing correctly. Byron was later referred to Medical Oncologist/Hematologist Jasmine Nabi, MD, at Mercy’s Hall-Perrine Cancer Center at Mercy for preventative care.

Detecting cancer early improved outcome

“I only met with Dr. Nabi once,” Byron said. “Due to the surgery showing the cancer had not spread outside the colon and they removed everything, there was no need to continue care with Dr. Nabi. She gave me tips to try to prevent further occurrences, such as taking a daily baby aspirin and certain food limitations.”

Because the cancerous polyp was caught at an early stage and a portion of his sigmoid colon was successfully removed, Byron did not need further treatment for his cancer. He is now cancer-free.

“The staff I encountered along the way were wonderful at taking their time to really explain everything and did what they could to calm my nerves and make me comfortable,” Byron said. “I would definitely recommend Dr. Beer, the Mercy Gastroenterology Clinic, Dr. Kumar, Dr. Hassan, Mercy Medical Center and Hall-Perrine Cancer Center!”

Different risks based on age, race and gender

According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, cancer does not affect people of all ages, races, ethnicity and sexes equally; differentiation in genetics, hormones, environmental exposures and other factors can lead to risk differences among groups of people. But, for the majority of cancers, age is the most important risk factor.

Because the recommended age to begin colonoscopies has been lowered from 50 to 45, patients like Byron can be screened earlier, improving the chances that colon cancer can be found in its early stages.

But listen to your body and have a colonoscopy earlier if you’re experiencing certain abnormalities, Dr. Kumar said. “Preventative strategies include timely colon cancer screening; not ignoring the red flags, which include rectal bleeding, unexplained weight loss, and recent changes in bowel habits; avoiding processed and ultra-processed food; incorporating more vegetables in the diet; and avoiding smoking,” Dr. Kumar said.

Recommending regular colonoscopies

Because of his experience, Byron recommends having regular colonoscopies.

“It is very important [to have a colonoscopy]; you have to do it,” Byron said. “It saves lives. I will always have regular colonoscopies going forward.”

Learn more about the importance of having a colonoscopy and the new age screening guideline at www.mercycare.org/GI. You can conveniently schedule a screening for your colonoscopy by visiting www.mercycare.org/schedulemycolonoscopy or by calling the Mercy Gastroenterology Clinic at (319) 369-4542.