Image courtesy of SONY Pictures TV
Did Dr. Oz scare you today?
The chances of your colonoscopy resulting in the made-for-TV near-death experience that Dr. Mehmet Oz detailed in a six-part video series on his show and website are highly unlikely. See, Dr. Oz didn’t have a near-death experience, and his colonoscopy story is very common. So can we cut it out with the hysterics, Dr. Oz? You’re scaring people.
As the president of an advocacy organization that fights colorectal cancer, you’d assume that I’d jump on the bandwagon of breathless exultation about how Dr. Oz cheated death with his recent colonoscopy, when doctors found an adenomatous polyp and removed it. Although many colonoscopies result in the discovery and removal of adenomas (like the one Dr. Oz had), 90 percent of them never become cancer.
Even though it’s a big scary word, an adenoma is just a growth in the colon, and most are benign. As in, not malignant. Dr. Oz went in for a routine colonoscopy – he is 50 years old after all – and his doctor found a polyp, something that lots of doctors find when they give 50-year-olds a colonoscopy. Yes, there was a 10 percent chance it could have become cancerous over time, which is why it was removed. The rest of his overblown, overdone, overly-dramatic story, including his heartbreaking anecdote of having to tell his children (sob!) are for the mere benefit of getting people to watch his show.
Unfortunately, a side effect of Dr. Oz’s histrionics is that he’s taken a common condition and turned it into a death-defying act that will scare the living daylights out of anyone who may be approaching the screening age – or who may have already passed it. (If you’re like Dr. Oz and putting off that colonoscopy you naughty kid, go get screened!)
Don’t get me wrong. I appreciate Dr. Oz raising awareness that everyone over the age of 50 must get screened for colon and rectal cancer, even if they eat well, exercise and don’t smoke. No one is immune to this disease. But just because he had a polyp doesn’t mean that he was destined for cancer. It just means that now that the polyp is out, he definitely will not develop colorectal cancer from it. He does have to continue to be screened for additional polyps every three to five years.
Honestly, what scared us most at Fight Colorectal Cancer is that Dr. Oz thought he could put off getting a colonoscopy because he leads a healthy lifestyle. I guess, in this instance, we can all be thankful he has a show to market. Hopefully his viewers can see through his scare tactics to the benefits of screening.
See also:
Dr. Oz’s despicable adventures in self-promotion [Forbes]
September 07, 2010 at 5:32 pm, R Joseph said:
I thought the show was very informative. Yes, there was indeed a bit of drama attached, but its tv and Dr. Oz needs his ratings too. The important message that was driven home was that screening and early detection is imperative in beating colorectal cancer. If he had to scare a few people along the way, well…..
September 07, 2010 at 5:51 pm, KS said:
I also wondered why there was so much drama over a polyp. Am curious as to why he would need followup to “check margins” in 3 months. Have never heard of that being done for simple polyp removal. Any ideas?
September 07, 2010 at 10:56 pm, Christine LeGrant said:
I thought the show contained some good information, but came across a bit like a Geraldo Rivera special. Big on hype, not much in the vault. Maybe when your health has been perfect for 50 years anything will scare the bejeezies out of you, but one adenoma, removed on the spot sounds reassuring to me. I almost want to e-mail him and tell him what it’s like to have a routine colonoscopy and wake up to Stage III cancer. Maybe this actually WAS a real wake up call for Doctor Perfect Health. Maybe he really did think nothing could ever go wrong. Maybe, at age 50, he just figured out he’s as vulnerable as his patients and it shook him up. He’s “high risk” now. He’s human. Good for him. He’ll be a better doctor.
September 07, 2010 at 11:03 pm, Christine LeGrant said:
Yes, I do think Dr. Oz’s experience will scare some people into getting screened. That’s the up side of it. He said that’s why he “went public” with the results. A good message, even if it seems a bit over dramatic. I know I talked on and on about my “routine” screening and the fact that I “hit the jackpot” as my mom said. Several people I know got screened because of me. Dr. Oz can reach a lot more people than I can, and his story is a lot less scary than mine.
September 08, 2010 at 12:55 pm, Carlea Bauman said:
KS – We don’t have enough information about Dr. Oz’s medical results to answer that question. Most people with polyps with have a repeat colonoscopy in 3 to 5 years.
September 10, 2010 at 12:14 pm, Claudia Smith said:
I’m sorry to say it but MOST people have to be scared into a good checkup of any sort. So if Dr. Oz scares you and you had you checkup, just ignore him. If not…then just do it!!!
November 29, 2010 at 1:00 pm, A. Mendes said:
Well… I just think Dr Oz puts too much drama in everything…
Right now I’m watching the BioTerrorism (anthrax, the plague, etc…)
The Plague is bioTERRORISM???? in that case, so is the flu!
Americans are becoming obcessed with terrorism so much, that they make their own terrorism as they install panic with every subject!
December 31, 2010 at 6:38 pm, Susie S. said:
I just saw the repeat of Dr. Oz’s colonoscopy show, three days AFTER my first colonoscopy. I was absolutely terrified of the test and it’s potential results; as it turned out, three small polyps were found and removed. There was so much less drama involved than I had myself prepared for; bascially, it was a non-event. The prep was no picnic, the apprehension was tough, but the procedure was a breeze–easier than most dental visits, including cleaning! That said, had I seen Dr. Oz’s show 3 days PRIOR to my colonoscopy, I may very well have cancelled. The show was so dramatic, and I think it was a very unfair, major disservice to the viewers that trust him. It would have been so much more comforting, appropriate and responsible to have him down-play the event, and approach it with a positive, uplifting message of, “See? I did it; and my results are exactly why these tests are so valuable. You can do this, too.” The end. So many times, viewers hang on every word of these doctor-shows–there is a responsibility that comes with that trust that those trusted should respect. Many of their viewers are very vulnerable. Please, Dr. Oz, “First, do no harm.”
September 22, 2011 at 6:01 pm, Lisa said:
I didn’t see Dr. Oz’s colonoscopy show, but I did see him on several TV programs talking about his ‘colon cancer’ scare and a front page magazine cover…Yes it was way too dramatic and over blown. I, personally, am a survivor of stage III rectal cancer. I appreciate his bringing attention to colonoscopies and colorectal cancer but he could have taken the spotlight off himself and brought in a GI dr to talk about colonoscopies, and some survivors, like me to discuss our experiences. I can tell you, I wouldn’t have scared the audience like he did…