Cancer Research Blog

Groshan Fabiola asked:


There are several known factors that increase the risk of a person developing colon cancer. These factors can be split into two categories: the ones that you can have control over and the second category those that you have no control over.

What you eat can make a difference in developing colon cancer. As you can see, this is a factor that we have some control over. Studies have shown that eating fat or fatty foods increases the risk of developing colon cancer. Furthermore, if your diet does not contain the necessary amount of fiber, then you are at risk of developing colon cancer as well. So, believe it or not, diet is a factor when talking about colon cancer. You should try to avoid those foods that have a lot of fat in them, although I know they are so tasty. If you care about your health and also want to lower the risk of colon cancer, you will!
Environment is also another risk factor for colon cancer. You can say that this factor is somewhere between those two categories. Studies have shown that people that live in industrialized countries are more at risk of developing colon cancer. The actual cause of getting colon cancer is not known, but because the majority of people that suffer from colon cancer live in these areas, then you can safely say that environment is one of the risk factors.

Age is also a risk factor when it comes to colon cancer. Unfortunately, we have no control over this factor. This is probably one of the most important factors in developing colon cancer. Because we have no control over it, all we can do is try to detect colon cancer when we approach a certain age. If found in it’ s early stages, colon cancer can be cured. This is the reason why, doctors advice people over fifty to have colon cancer tests every year.

Another risk factor on the list of factors that we have no control over is family history. If there is colon cancer history in your family, then you are more at risk of developing colon cancer as well. Furthermore, if there is also history of polyps or bowel disease, then that puts you at risk of having colon cancer too. In these cases, doctors usually recommend screening for colon cancer earlier than in other colon cancer risk people.

For more resource on different colon cancer subjects please click this link http://www.colon-cancer-center.com. You can also find valuable information about colon cancer diet or even about stage3 colon cancer



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Robaltion asked:

i hope she gets well soon.

Posted by Nikhil Gupta

Alok Prasad asked:


Does EMR increase revenues?

The economy has been in a recessionary trend for more than a year now. Whilst the economic conditions are challenging, the insurance companies are applying a squeeze on physicians to accept lower reimbursements. Funding by way of donations from private contributions is also reducing thereby adversely impacting availability of cash to implement an EMR / EHR system.

Any investment in EMR is justified only if it can help in increasing revenues, decreasing costs or overheads, improving patient care or any combination of the above resulting in maximization of reimbursements, collections and customer goodwill.

How does EMR/EHR increase revenues?



1. Improves charge capture: When traditional paper charts are used, many services performed in a physician’s office are lost and never billed. The billing staff may either completely leave out an E&M Code or may erroneously enter fewer units, all resulting in lower billing and therefore lower reimbursements to a physician. EMR software can increase revenues by facilitating capturing of charges for all services provided by the physician thereby avoiding lost revenues. In a case study (Nick Fabrizio, July 2005, QIO Presentation quote), a family medicine physician while seeing same number of patients increased revenues by $3000 per month due to timely visit documentation and automated charge capture.

2. Maximizes Billing: When using paper charts, to be on the safe side of the law, many physicians down code (use a lower billing code), rather than use an appropriate level of code. Providers who use EMR software can increase revenues by using System recommended E&M billing codes that are based on the service accurately documented within the EMR, without the fear of an audit.  Medical Economics magazine has estimated that physicians, who routinely down-code to avoid audits, lose an average of $40,000 annually.

3. Optimizes reimbursement process: EMR software allows physicians to produce adequate supporting documentation that complies with CMS guidelines and supports the appropriate level of service to be billed. Accurate coding speeds up the reimbursement process and results in fewer rejected claims from insurance companies. Even better, an EMR helps produce clean claims the first time, significantly reducing the number of rejected claims!

4. Increases Physician productivity: When physicians do not use EMR, they have to spend several minutes per encounter, first dictating and then reviewing the transcript before signing the same. With an EMR, progress notes are automatically generated which can be signed electronically from home or work, with no pulling or filing of charts. The time saved can be used to see a few more patients each day. Further, the medical records storage space released as a result of implementing an EMR System can be used to add more consultation rooms. As a result, practices are able to generate more revenue with the same fixed costs in the same amount of time.



5. Increases Services with Health Maintenance Reminders: EMR Systems provide computerized checks and reminders which enable reminders to be sent to all patients who are overdue for recommended services, or who are coming up on their annual check-ups. This helps the physician to deliver enhanced patient care, while at the same time increasing service volume and revenue.

6. Increases sources of income: Electronic Medical Records (EMR) software can allow providers to apply for enhanced sources of revenue from various payers associated with higher quality of care, such as:

(i) DOQ-IT (Doctors’ Office Quality-Information Technology is one of the Physician-focused Quality Initiatives sponsored by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS).

(ii) Healthcare Pay-for-Performance (P4P) programs like Medicare Care Management Performance (MCMP), which is a 3-year, pilot P4P program that encourages physicians to follow strict quality-control guidelines for treating chronically ill patients.  During the first year of treatment, physicians receive bonuses for reporting data on quality measures and in the second and third years, participating clinics receive an extra annual performance-based bonus of $10,000 per clinician plus, an additional 25% reward for using a CCHIT Certified EMR.

To participate in a P4P program, a physician will need to track and measure care, and monitor the efficiency of delivering quality care at an optimal cost. One must also document the patients’ experiences using post-exam surveys. Most EMR systems are capable of meeting these requirements while simplifying the process.

How does it decrease administrative costs / overhead?

A typical medical office employs a transcriptionist, billing and clerical staff such as appointment schedulers, medical billers, collectors, file clerks and others. As a Practice grows, EMRs significantly reduce the need for more personnel to provide these functions, while at the same time, reducing existing office staff time that will no longer be needed spending valuable time hunting down records or filing patient charts. EMR-enabled medical offices mean fewer bodies in the office, generating greater efficiencies and accomplishing more.

1. Reduces transcription cost: Many physicians pay hefty fees for transcription of their medical charts. EMRs ‘virtually’ eliminate transcription costs since medical charts are created electronically at the time of the patient’s visit itself.  According to Medical Economics (March 2002), physicians spend between $15,000 and $25,000 over the course of a year for transcription-related services. Implementation of an EMR eliminates the need to use in-house or outsourced transcriptionists.  Integration of voice recognition software with EMR Systems also plays an important role for the people who want to have free formatted notes or for some providers who are not comfortable using mouse and keyboard.

Assuming an average of 25 visits per day and a conservative average of $2 per chart, an EMR brings instant savings of $50 per day per physician. Assuming that a physician works for 240 days in a year, this translates into potential savings of $12,000 per physician. Even if some or all of a practice’s physicians continue to use transcription, there is no doubt that these costs can be reduced significantly.

2. Reduces costs associated with storing paper charts: Once a medical office successfully converts to electronic medical records, all costs associated with purchasing, copying, management, storing or destroying paper charts can be eliminated. Additionally, the space typically used for storing patient charts can be utilized to create additional patient exam rooms, or increased office space, resulting in a more profitable use of resources. It is estimated that the total cost associated with maintaining a paper record average $3 per medical chart.

A case study revealed that a 12-physician practice saved $5,000 a year in storage space after converting to EMR. In another study, a major medical center in Boston seeing 750,000 patients a year, estimated they will save $6 million annually by reducing their dependence on paper records. At this saving rate, a practice seeing 5,000 patients annually could potentially save $40,000. In another case study, EMR implementation resulted in a reduction in office supplies expense by 50% with the elimination of paper charts.

3. Reduces liability and malpractice insurance premiums: Improved documentation, audit trails, and accuracy not only reduce incidents of medical errors, but also improve the chances of physicians receiving discounts from insurers. The cost of malpractice insurance has been showing a constant upward trend. A good EMR system leads to reduction in costs associated with poor documentation that otherwise generally means higher malpractice premiums.

a.    In a 2005 survey by the Medical Liability Monitor, a four-state average of the highest liability rates for OB/GYN was $230,919. With a two to five percent credit from malpractice insurance companies, clinics would save $4,600 to $11,500 per provider, per year, if they implemented an EMR.

b.    In another example, the Midwest Medical Insurance Company (MMIC) is offered a two to five percent credit to physician groups that used an EMR in 2008.

4. Self-service by Patients lowers data entry costs: The Patient Portal module of an EMR allows patients to enter much of their own demographics, even before they arrive to the Physicians office, including health insurance information, medical, family, and social history, and other pertinent data and this can save office staff a lot of data entry time. It can even allow patients to view certain information from their medical electronic file, and schedule appointments.

5. Saves time and increases efficiency: Staff and physician time is often ill spent due to:

i. Waiting: If a pharmacy calls while the chart is being used, or waiting to be filed, the staff receiving the call cannot access the information in a timely manner. EMR Systems allow multi-use access that enables staff to access and update patient records simultaneously – this saves time that would otherwise be spent in waiting for access to patient records.

ii. Time spent in pulling Medical Records: It is estimated that the cost of pulling and handling paper charts averages $5 to $12. In an EMR deployed Practice, Medical Records are accessible 24 x 7 from any web-enabled device or web access point, and this is done, securely.

iii. Data entry for billing purposes: When the EMR System interfaces or integrates with the Practice Management or Billing System, data entry workload reduces significantly while maintaining billing accuracy.

In a recent case study, a Practice reduced labor costs by 10% in the first year after implementing an EMR solution due to more efficient workflow and, the reduction of filing, coding, and data entry staff, while reducing time spent to complete clinical tasks such as Rx refills, referrals, lab, and diagnostic orders.

Revenue Acceleration and Denial Management

EMR implementation can help increase revenues but a physician practice must not forget to look at two other important and often neglected aspects:

1.    How can revenues be accelerated by proactive AR Follow-ups?

2.    How can we manage denials efficiently and expeditiously?

Revenue Acceleration

Experts believe that effective Account Receivables (AR) Follow up and AR Management are the most important areas requiring attention to ensure optimum revenue recovery. The average profit margin of US hospitals is less than 2% of Net Revenue while lost revenue due to denials accounts for an average of 6% to10% of net revenue, nationwide.  In fact, take a look at these powerful facts:

•    14% of all claims submitted to payers are denied and have to be resubmitted, appealed, or written off by Providers.

•    50% of denied claims are never re-filed.

•    90% of denials are preventable.

•    50-70% of denied claims are recoverable.

This can cost a clinic or practice thousands of dollars every year. Aside from the direct impact from the loss of revenue, there’s an additional impact on resources because of the expense associated with reprocessing denied claims. A judicious combination of process, technology and people skills must be effectively used to follow up with the payers to identify, address and rectify the identified problem and accelerate your revenues so that you can get money in your bank – faster.

Denials Processing

Accurate coding speeds up the reimbursement process and results in fewer rejected claims from insurance companies. Sophisticated denial processing solutions can captures claims, payments, and denials and addresses your denial management issues with an effective denial management plan.

Here are some of the tools used to achieve high rates of denial reversals:

•    Continuously update denials database

•    Immediate identification of the root causes of denials, and use the experience and knowledge to address each denial trend

•    Utilize denial data to generate custom reports

•    Better feedback to the coding and billing team

Conclusion

The many benefits enumerated in this article can be experienced by all Physicians, however, the payback period (ROI) will vary from Practice to Practice. In most cases, Practices experience increased cost in Year 1, and then, begin seeing increased revenues and, decreased administrative costs and overhead from the second year onward.  The key ingredient for success lies in the willingness of the Practice to critically examine their existing workflow and make recommended adjustments to optimize workflow efficiency. If these efforts can be supplemented with other revenue acceleration and denial management techniques, the Practice can see significant improvements in each and every revenue cycle Key Performance Indicator (KPI).



Posted by Nikhil Gupta

John Gaydon asked:


NCD

If you look around the internet, you will find many references to Activated Liquid Zeolite and its use with Cancer. This article discusses some of the information, and attempts to take a rational viewpoint of the material with regard to what Zeolite actually does in the human body.

Recently, while in Las Vegas, I was told that preliminary research has been done taking Zeolite with a chemotherapy drug, Cyclophosphamine. Apparently this drug causes a toxin called “acrolene” when ingested which has toxic side effects. When the Activated Liquid Zeolite is taken in conjunction with the drug, the toxic effects are eliminated. This is preliminary research and it will be many years before this connection is proven by published scientific papers. It may explain why some people have less side effects from treatment when they are taking the Activated Liquid Zeolite as well.

First there is Jonathan Campbell, who asserts that activated liquid Zeolite can cause cancer. There is no evidence to back this claim. Mr Campbell sells an alternate cancer cure and has a vested interest in discrediting other products. Furthermore there are 3 classes of Zeolite. One includes asbestos, which definitely causes lung cancer. The sheath like Zeolites, of which Clinoptilolite, the Zeolite used in activated zeolite products, has been certified as GRAS (generally recognised as safe) status by the FDA in the US. This is the highest level of safety possible. Who do you trust, the FDA, or Mr Campbell?

Now, let’s look at some of the research done with regards to Cancer and Zeolite.

In an article titled “Natural zeolite clinoptilolite: new adjuvant in anticancer therapy” published in the Journal of Molecular Medicine Volume 78, Number 12 / February 2001, research is detailed with Mice, Dogs and Rats, indicating the use of Zeolite reduces skin cancer tumour growth.

It states, “In vitro tissue culture studies showed that finely ground clinoptilolite inhibits protein kinase B (c-Akt), induces expression of p21WAF1/CIP1 and p27KIP1 tumor suppressor proteins, and blocks cell growth in several cancer cell lines. These data indicate that clinoptilolite treatment might affect cancer growth by attenuating survival signals and inducing tumor suppressor genes in treated cells”.

While this is not a study on humans, it does indicate that the use of Zeolite has some function at least in animals in tumour suppression. The p21 gene is known by scientists to suppress tumours and one of the great scientific debates is how to trigger this gene in cancer patients.

The following information is quoted on many websites. To my knowledge, it has not been substantiated or published, and the study was done by Lifelink Pharmaceuticals, of which Rik Deitsch is a director. It therefore must be taken with a grain of salt!

Although only one small human trial has been conducted, the results were intriguing: 78% full remission for stage 4 cancer patients (with various types of cancer). The study was an open-label trial conducted by the researchers at LifeLink Pharmaceuticals in Ohio. Although one small study is not grounds for leaping to solid conclusions about cancer, this result is promising enough to warrant additional investigation. Any anti-cancer effect is probably due to NCD’s ability to induce tumor suppressor genes that cause the body to not only halt the growth of tumor cells, but actually destroy such tumors.

Now, you must make up your own mind whether animal studies can be applied to humans, or whether Lifelink’s study is fact or fiction. All we can do is to quote the information available.

There are some other areas where Natural Cellular Defense could definitely help with many disease states. One is the area of body pH. Studies done invitro (in a test tube) indicate that with a pH of 7.4 or higher, cancer cells become dormant. This would indicate that if the body’s pH can be raised to this level, it is possible that it could slow down or even stop the spread of cancer.

Dr. William Kelley, in an article titled, “Cancer - Self Treatment”, suggests that “There is research indicating that cancer grows slowly in a highly acid environment (because the acids cause it to partially destroy itself) and may actually grow more quickly as your body becomes more alkaline prior to reaching the healthy pH slightly above 7.4 where the cancer becomes dormant. Therefore, you will want to get your pH above 7.4 as quickly as possible by every means available.”

This would indicate that when raising pH, it is important that it is done as quickly as possible and that as pH rises, cancer activity can increase for a while. So, one would have to be really convinced that a pH of 7.4 does effectively stop the spread of the disease before considering this action.

Often there is a challenge with Natural Remedies in that sometimes indications get worse before they normalise. This leads many physicians to recommend against the use of such products, because they see any worsening of the situation as alarming. Again, you will have to make your own mind up about this. The question then is to research alternate pathways and decide the likely outcome in each case!

Natural Cellular Defense, taken regularly, will raise pH into the 7.4 zone and keep it there, which I think is a good thing!

Vic Shayne, PhD in an article called’ “Ignoring the Link Between Toxins and Cancer” states, “With all of the cancer information and disinformation broadcasted continually through the major news media, rarely do we hear a mention of the greatest threat to our health - and the most prevalent cause of cancer: toxins.”

More evidence is emerging every day that there is a relationship between environmental toxins and cancer. A recent article in the Vancouver Sun stated, ” Banned pesticides and other toxic chemicals lingering in the environment put people at an increased risk of developing non-Hodgkin lymphoma, according to a B.C. Cancer Agency study”.

We are rapidly approaching a point where there is little doubt that toxins are affecting our health in a negative way. In 1907 there were less than 7% of deaths from cancer. At that time no chemicals were used in agriculture. Today the death rate from cancer is over 30% and of course we have thousands of toxic substances in our food, water and air. Is this a coincidence? You decide!

Natural Cellular Defense, or Zeolite, is effective in removing toxins, particularly heavy metals and organic chemicals such as dioxin, deildrin and benzene. We have done hair analysis tests before and after using the product, and although this is not a scientific controlled study, the results are documented by lab reports and are quite impressive.

Research was published in an article titled, “Zeolite Binds to Benzene” (Active Crystallography 1996). This shows how in a laboratory, the Zeolite molecules combine with benzene to remove it from the body.

Conclusion. In summary, we know that Activated liquid Zeolite increases heavy metal secretion by 8-20 times baseline. We know that it increases pH to the 7.4 range. We know that it removes toxins and heavy metals from the body.

This doesn’t necessarily mean that the product will give results with any particular medical condition. We suggest you do your research. If an out of balance pH or toxic overload are likely causes of a condition, adding activated liquid zeolite to your regime won’t do any harm, and it just might work. You have very little to lose and possibly much to gain.



Posted by Nikhil Gupta

Alisha Dhamani asked:


In 2004 the FDA approved an implantable, rice grain sized microchip for use in humans. The tiny subcutaneous RFID chip, made by a company called VeriChip, is being marketed as a lifesaving device. If you’re brought to an emergency room unconscious, a scanner in the hospital doorway will read your chip’s unique ID. That will unlock your medical records from a database, allowing doctors to learn about your penicillin allergy or your pacemaker.

The tiny, passive RFID devices are injected under the hide. They do not contain the medical data in question, but instead store a unique ID number that is used to access records on a remote server maintained by Applied Digital, using a handheld reader.

VeriChip’s biggest human-chip market is Mexico. Eighteen members of the attorney general’s staff were implanted with a chip in order to control access to a new government facility.* Building security isn’t the biggest part of VeriChip’s south-of-the-border sales pitch, though. Mexico’s kidnapping wave the country’s 3,000 abductions a year are second only to Colombia worldwide has led VeriChip to partner with the National Foundation for the Investigation of Lost and Kidnapped Children. So far, 1,000 Mexican citizens have voluntarily had RFID chips implanted.

You shouldn’t trust RFID to stop a kidnapping or to save your life in an emergency. Perhaps a more realistic suggestion is to use RFID implants to replace the tracking bracelets now imposed upon those who a) aren’t trusted to be in the right place at the right time; and b) aren’t given much of a choice: kids (at theme parks like Fort Lauderdale’s Wannado City and Legoland in Denmark), the elderly, and prisoners. Though injection is unpleasant to think about, subdermal devices are far harder to remove and, thus, far more reliable than an external bracelet. And what about the lighter side of chip injection? Patrons of Barcelona’s Baja Beach Club now pay for drinks via a system that links their VeriChip implants to their credit cards.

These small electronic chips approved by the FDA for implanting beneath human skin have been linked to cancer in laboratory animals, according to a research review conducted by the Associated Press.

The radio frequency identification (RFID) chips are made by VeriChip Corp. They are designed to carry a serial number, which can be read when scanned by anyone with an RFID sensor. Medical workers can then use that number to access a patient’s medical history from a web site maintained by the corporation, provided they have paid the annual access fee.

The chips, which are approximately twice the size of a grain of rice, were approved by the FDA for human implantation in 2005. But the Associated Press has revealed that as early as 1996, researchers had uncovered a link between the devices and cancer. Rodents implanted with the chips were found to develop malignant tumors beneath the skin, usually surrounding the devices. The rates were high enough — as high as 10 percent of animals implanted, in a 1998 study — to raise warning bells with the researchers, who reported their concern in peer-reviewed journals.

None of the studies were looking for carcinogenic effects from the RFID tags, but in each case the researchers ruled out other possible causes. Although there was no non-implanted control group in many of the studies, the evidence is strong enough to convince many researchers that more research is needed before any more human implantation takes place.

There’s no way in the world, having read this information, that I would have one of those chips implanted in my skin, or in one of my family members, said Dr. Robert Benezra, head of the Cancer Biology Genetics Program at the Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center in New York.

This research review clearly shows cause of concern over the mass microchipping of our population for medical purposes,” explained consumer health advocate Mike Adams. “Intelligent, reasonable people will naturally reject such chip implants, which is exactly why the company is targeting individuals suffering from cognitive decline, such as Alzheimer’s patients,” Adams added.

So far, 2,000 people have been implanted with VeriChip’s RFID chips. The company has identified is target market in the United States as 45 million people, starting with Alzheimer’s and diabetes patients.

Lastly, these RFID implanting has become a hot topic in the past few years. Early on, the dangers of implants at least in terms of privacy and security appear to be outweighing the benefits. The biggest fear is that the tiny rice-sized implants may someday become mandatory and would then be used as some sort of Big Brother type device to keep tabs on private citizens. Some states, such as Wisconsin, have even gone so far as to pass legislation banning any such mandatory chip implantation. Preemptory? Perhaps, but concerns about RFID implants are not unfounded. Implants can be read by anyone with access to a RFID scanner, and hackers have shown that the chips are not as secure as had been previously thought.



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SoulGardenTV asked:

Your Monday Video Horoscope presented by “Stand Up Astrologer” Christopher Witecki and Soulgarden.tv live LOVE be!

Posted by Nikhil Gupta

Lalit Kumar asked:


We often get a very little time from our busy schedules to take care of our health. Worries, anxieties, meeting deadlines and working round the day affects health in many ways. We realize the importance of health only when a disease starts affecting some part of our body; hampering the overall health. In such cases, having sufficient health insurance or medical insurance prove to be of great advantage.

Health insurance induces many medical benefits for your absolute well-being. The medical cover of the health insurance or medical insurance policy benefits includes the medical charges in case you have sustained injuries or contracted any disease. In case of a serious injury or disease, you need medical treatment recommended by a medical practitioner. Hence, health insurance, in such times, provides maximum coverage and security.

Medical Insurance and cheap medical health insurance covers costs of blood, oxygen, Operation Theater, appliances, anesthesia, X-rays, dialysis, chemotherapy, medicines and drugs, pacemaker, accident insurance, medical insurance, artificial limbs and cost of organs. Those who offer standard Medical health insurance benefits, also provide cashless facility at a variety of hospitals. In this case, those who have tied up with the insurer can enjoy this cashless facility, they do not have to bear a large portion of the amount from their own pocket, because it’s directly managed by the Third Party Administrator (TPA).

Health insurance plans including cheap insurance plans and other benefits like health care management and medical care also feature as a part of the medical cover for pre-hospitalization (30 days) and post-hospitalization (till 60 or 90 days after release) costs. However, it only covers the disease or accident, for which you were hospitalized. The medical health insurance cover also includes the amount spent for an organ transplant. However, these are payable by the health insurance policy within limits.

Some of the leading private players are taking initiative in health care management and cheap insurance plans. They have started providing medical care, medical benefits, cheap health insurance plans, accident insurance and dental insurances. Medical and Health Insurance in India covers Individual Medical Insurance, Group Medical Insurance and Overseas Medical Insurance. The Medical Insurance cover includes hospitalization charges and repayment of the amount spent in case of diseases or surgeries.

Under a single Health Insurance policy you get dental insurance done. You can compare medical insurance plans and choose the one that is cheap. The private players cover dental treatment, injuries and emergency. Find out a cheap dental insurance policy to cover your treatment costs. Several insurance companies cover accident insurance for both individuals and families. NRI Accident Insurance and Personal Accident Insurance are some of the most popular accident insurance plans on offer. This way you can make a smarter choice with all the innovative plans that are offered and live with peace of mind.



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whatisaprostate asked:

Most men don’t know what their prostate gland is for. The Canadian Cancer Society hit the streets to give them a hint.

Posted by Nikhil Gupta

Sharon Bell asked:


 

Another helpful technique in diagnosing colon cancer is the stool-guaiac test or occult stool blood test which helps the doctor detect blood in your stool that is invisible to the naked eye. You should have one annually after the age of 50.

The results of this test will determine whether you need other screening procedures for colon cancer such as proctosigmoidoscopy and colonoscopy. What are these tongue-twisters?

In the former, the doctor uses a flexible, lighted tube called a proctosigmoidoscope to examine the lower portion of the colon and rectum - the area where cancers are usually found. This should be done initially at the age of 45 and every other year thereafter depending on your condition. For those with a family history of the disease, more frequent tests are required.

“Almost 50 percent of all colorectal cancer or polyps can be seen during such an examination. In addition, diagnosis of other diseases such as Crohn’s or ulcerative colitis can be made with this instrument. Samples of tissue can be taken through the instrument for later examination under a microscope (biopsy),” said Dr. David E. Larson, editor-in-chief of the “Mayo Clinic Family Health Book.”

Colonoscopy, on the other hand, examines the entire colon using a somewhat similar instrument called a fiberoptic endoscope. This gives a clear view of the lining of the colon from the anus to the cecum (the beginning of the large bowel located in the right lower portion of the abdomen).

The endoscope also permits the physician to remove polyps and to search for a cause of chronic or acute bleeding when other tests have failed to do so.

In about half of cases, surgery can cure colon cancer.  How extensive this will be depends on the location and size of the cancerous growth. The surgeon may remove the tumor and rejoin healthy pieces of the rectum so the patient can function normally. Or he may remove the entire rectum and create an artificial opening called a stoma on the abdominal wall for stool to pass out. This happens in about 20 percent of cases.

Additional treatment in the form of chemotherapy and radiation may follow. For cancer that has spread to the lungs, little can be done.

“In summary, remember, the key to the cure of colon cancer is early detection and immediate removal of the polyp or tumor. Follow-up chemotherapy and immunotherapy, even if malignancy appears to have been totally cut out, have also been shown to be effective,” concluded Dr. Isadore Rosenfeld of the New York Hospital - Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center in “The Best Treatment.”

To strengthen your body, take Immunitril – your first line of defense in maintaining a healthy immune system. For details, visit http://www.bodestore.com/immunitril.html.



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