Small price for prevention
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“In residency, I changed my focus from oncology to gastroenterology. Instead of being on the treatment side, I could now be on the prevention side,” reveals Dr. Tina Storage, a clinical instructor at UCLA Health Burbank Primary & Specialty Care clinic.
“There was an 18-year-old who had severe anemia secondary to colon cancer. She had ulcerative colitis, so she should have been screened for colon cancer, but she wasn’t. I was really heartbroken that she was so young and passing from this preventable disease.
If colon cancer is detected at a localized stage, a person’s survival is upward of 90%. If we can detect precancerous polyps before they even turn into cancer, we can prevent the diagnosis.
A colonoscopy feels like a small price to pay to change the alarming statistic of 50,000 people dying of colon cancer in 2019.”
Learn more about colon cancer screening options and make an appointment at UCLA Health.
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