WNKY News 40 Health Report: Colorectal Cancer Treatment
Report by Scott Burchett
BOWLING GREEN, Ky. – Cancer. It’s a frightening word. And even talk of treatment and prevention can be confusing or overwhelming.
Since March is Colorectal Cancer Awareness Month, I sat down with Dr. Rachel Bryant, a general surgeon at Tristar Greenview Hospital in Bowling Green to learn more about the disease.
Dr. Bryant told me some people with colon cancer don’t have any symptoms, but others may have signs that should cause concern, such as seeing blood in the stool, abdominal pain or unexplained weight loss.
The risk of colorectal cancer increases as a person ages or if there is a family history of colorectal cancer. That’s why screening is important.
Dr. Bryant says screening is important for those aged 45 or older. If you have anyone in your family who’s been diagnosed with colorectal cancer, you need to start getting screened earlier.
And, if cancer is found, treatment is usually surgery to remove the cancer. Radiation and chemotherapy may also be involved.
And if you’re worried about having an ostomy after having surgery to remove colorectal cancer, Dr. Bryant has some potentially comforting words. She says not everyone needs an ostomy and in many cases, if an ostomy is necessary, it can often be reversed.
