Recent publications have questioned the safety and adequacy of cancer screening procedures particular mammograms, but today I am reviewing the risks of colonoscopies.

There is no doubt that colonoscopies can prevent colon cancer almost 100%. Read the rest of this entry »

A recent study by Dr. Rubin from the University of Chicago evaluated over 180,000 patients with urological cancers such as renal pelvis and ureteral cancers and over 350,000 with colorectal cancer.

It is known that families with a genetic predisposition to colon cancer known as HNPCC (hereditary colorectal cancers) are at higher risk to develop additional cancers such as upper gastrointestinal cancers, ovarian and endometrium cancers but also renal cancers. This is one of the first and largest studies to connect colorectal and urological cancers. Read the rest of this entry »

We have learned that we can prevent colon cancer by taking aspirin. However because of the significant side effects such as gastric ulcer, bleeding complications and kidney problems, aspirin is not recommended for the public to prevent colon cancer.

In an effort to prevent colon cancer but avoid the side effects of aspirin, COX-2 inhibitors such as Celebrex® (celecoxib) was developed and tested to see if they could prevent colon cancer without the side effects of aspirin. Unfortunately, we have witnessed that high doses of Celebrex can cause heart attacks which put a significant hold on the development of these drugs as chemopreventative agents. Read the rest of this entry »

I’ve been reading about why red meat is associated with higher colon cancer risk. Initially it was thought it was because of the fat in the meat, but this has changed. It may due to protein.

Worldwide, red meat consumption in countries matches colon cancer incidence perfectly. Countries where people eat a lot of red meat such as US, Europe, and South America have the highest incidence. Countries like Japan, China, and the Far East, which have increased their intake of red meat with the westernization of diet, have the highest increase of colon cancer incidence. Japan, a country which used to have the lowest incidence of colon cancer, has now a higher incidence than the USA.  Japan has a dramatic shortage of oncologists to deal with the increasing number of cases. Read the rest of this entry »

Only about five years ago, every patient of mine who finished chemotherapy was given a vitamin cocktail to further reduce colon cancer risk. It was calcium, selenium, vitamin E and folic acid.

Over the last three years, folic acid has been shown to increase growth of polyps, and in patients with metastatic disease  it may shorten life. The protective value of vitamin E has been questioned, and there was evidence that it might increase prostate cancer risk. Selenium did not show benefit. Read the rest of this entry »