colonoscopy

Due to a marked increase in the number of younger adults being diagnosed with these types of cancers, the screening age has been lowered

“My dad was 54 years old when he passed away,” says Porchia Toussaint, who was 31 when she learned her dad had stage 4 colon cancer. “His doctor told my brother and I that because we were his kids, we needed to get follow-up colonoscopies. I had no idea what [...]

“My new primary care physician was shocked that I hadn’t had a colonoscopy yet,” says 62-year-old James Weatherall, who chose UCLA Health for his medical care after moving to Los Angeles.

“I went in for my colonoscopy expecting nothing, but came out of it with a tumor,” he says. “My whole [...]

For one UCLA Health patient, the home FIT test led to a colonoscopy and a new appreciation for cancer screenings

Lowering the age of testing could result in 11,000 deaths averted over 5 years

Colorectal cancer is the third most common cancer. Every week over 1,000 Americans die from it. Currently, one in ten people diagnosed with colorectal cancer is under age 50.

According to digestive diseases specialist Lynn Connolly, MD, colon cancer has been on the rise in people under age 50 [...]

Dear Doctors: My husband and I were shocked when our nephew was diagnosed with colon cancer. He’s only 36 years old. Isn’t that awfully young? It seems like we’re hearing about a lot of younger people getting this kind of cancer. Why is this happening?

Dear Reader: Unfortunately, you’re correct about [...]

“I went in for a routine colonoscopy, but the doctor was unable to remove a certain polyp, so they sent me to a surgeon who wanted to remove one-third of my colon,” recalls 64-year-old Linda Kama’ila, who immediately looked for a second opinion. “I would have been out of work [...]

“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 [...]

A Successful Colonoscopy