By TERRY O’CONOR toconnor@breezenewspapers.com Email: "Boca doc talk: Colonoscopy can ID No. 1 American killer&quot Photos Fact Box

Dr. Anthony Di Tomaso at a glance

Business: Gulf Comprehensive Gastronenterology

Specialty: diagnostic and therapeutic gastronintestinal endoscopy. Practice limited to digestive and liver diseases.

Address: 655 N. Indiana Ave., Suite D, Englewood FL, 34223

Contact: (941) 473-8881

You should know: Available every other Wednesday at the Boca Grande Health Clinic. call for an appointment.

Colon cancer is the No. 1 killer of Americans because we let it be, according to Dr. Anthony Di Tomaso. The Englewood-based physician told a Boca Grande audience of more than 100 at the Boca Grande Health Clinic Physicians Lecture Series that colon cancer’s impact can be greatly lessened if we just take the relatively simple step of trying to detect it.

The only other option is trusting to luck, a gamble that has turned out badly for many on Boca Grande and elsewhere such as the 97,000 Americans who died of it last year. this week, Di Tomaso tells us how to discover whether we have the disease, how to treat it if present and how to ward it off through detection.

Question: how serious is colon cancer in America?

Answer: I still don’t think people realize how common it is. It’s the No. 1 cancer for men and women in the United States. if you take women separately, it’s breast cancer. if you take men separately, it’s prostate. but if you take men and women together it’s colon cancer by far.

Q: how many new colon cancer cases occur each year?

A: There were about 147,000 new colon cancer cases last year. almost 50,000 died (66 percent survival rate).

Q: Who gets colon cancer?

A: Age is the No. 1 risk factor. as we get older our risk increases. Genetics play a role. There’s nothing we can do about that. In case you have a family member who had colon cancer, you’re obviously at higher risk. Diet plays a huge role. A high-fat, high-red meat diet is a huge risk factor for colon cancer.

Q: when should you start being screened for the disease?

A: we start screening people at the age of 50.

Q: does a high-fiber diet help protect against colon cancer?

A: Conversely, a high-fiber diet does not really protect you from colon cancer. Many studies have been done. What happens is you stop eating red meats and you’re eating healthier foods and staying away from the fatty, rich foods, and your risk from colon cancer will start to go down.

Q: What’s the most common symptom of colon cancer?

A: Actually, no symptom at all. Most patients have no symptoms. but they could present with anemia, a change in bowel habits, abdominal pains, weight loss, obviously blood in the stool. There’s a whole myriad of symptoms that may or may not represent colon cancer. amidst the colon cancer, you may not have any symptoms at all. People think you have to feel something wrong or feel something at all but the truth is it could be very silent, which is why we recommend screening at the age of 50.

Q: how do you diagnose colon cancer?

A: by far the best technique is a colonoscopy. It allows direct visualization of the colon, it allows biopsy or taking of tissue for diagnosis, it’s a simple exam that takes about 15 minutes. You are sedated but it’s called twilight sleep. You basically breathe on your own but you’re sleeping like in your bed at home.

Q: Is there are preparation involve for the patient prior to the colonscopy?

A: There is a bowel prep involved prior to this procedure. You usually take that the day before the procedure. It cleans it out so the operator can get a good look at the colon and remove any polyps or growths and biopsy as needed.

Q: how would you describe a colonoscopy?

A: Basically the patient is lying on a stretcher, well-sedated by an anesthesiologist. The operator inserts the camera while watching a TV screen. The colon is basically shaped like a horseshoe. There are angles we have to go around. The goal is to get all the way to the other side.

Q: how do you know you’ve reached the end of the colon?

A: There are actually two landmarks we look for: One is the opening to the appendix, which we always see even if you’ve had your appendix removed. The opening doesn’t go away. Then finally, the bowel between the large intestine and the small intestine. It’s very prominent. You can’t miss it. You see those two landmarks, you’ve gotten to the other side and given the patient a complete exam.

Q: What is the treatment for colon cancer?

A: Surgery by far is the No. 1 treatment.

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