“If the other doctor had done a physical inspection in 2016 instead of assuming it was hemorrhoids, my colon cancer would have been stage one or two instead of stage three,” says 52-year-old Cesar Perez, who came to Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center for a second opinion on treatment and surgery in November of 2017. “The tumor was pretty big sized for its location, and my understanding is that there are very few surgeons who can do what Dr. Kevork Kazanjian did, so I’m very fortunate. Before surgery, I went through radiation and chemotherapy. After the surgery, I received eight more sessions of chemo. In December of 2018, I had the colonoscopy bag reversal, which was the greatest news. Now I’m in recovery and waiting for everything to normalize in my digestive system. The care and service here at UCLA Health is amazing.”

Tags: Cancer, chemotherapy, colon cancer, colonoscopy bag reversal, colorectal cancer, Digestive Diseases, Dr. Kevork Kazanjian, featured, hemorrhoids, radiation, Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center, Surgery