Colon Cancer Screenings Save Lives 

It’s an alarming trend—the rising number of younger people developing colon cancer. The University of Miami Health System’s gastroenterology team says this disease is preventable. 

“About one in 25 people will get colorectal cancer. There’s a lot of people that are now developing it in their late 20’s or 30’s. We think that the reason for it is several lifestyle factors, including being sedentary, so not exercising enough. We believe that obesity and dietary choices at young ages probably play a significant role,” says Daniel Sussman, M.D., Interim Chief of Digestive Health and Liver Diseases at UHealth. 

“The benefit of doing a colonoscopy is not just making sure you don’t have colon cancer… when we find a polyp…it can turn to cancer. We can remove it during the procedure. It’s sent to a pathologist who looks at it under the microscope and tells us what kind of polyp it is, and then we make a decision when to repeat the colonoscopy,” says Grigoriy Rapoport, M.D., a UHealth gastroenterologist. 

When it comes to colon cancer, early detection is key. At UHealth SoLé Mia Medical Center in North Miami, doctors are able to perform colonoscopies using the most cutting-edge equipment, and the latest technology. 

Using AI Tools for Cancer Prevention

“We were able to find that AI tools did a pretty outstanding job at identifying when patients should be able to come back for follow-up colonoscopies after polyps were removed,” Dr. Sussman says. 

UHealth SoLé Mia is a multi-specialty ambulatory center giving patients access to the highest level of care. 

“Our instruments are now all high definition. We’re able to maneuver them better, and we understand better the factors and the features associated with doing a high-quality job and finding these polyps. And so, by finding polyps and removing them, we’re doing a great job now at actually preventing colorectal cancer,” says Dr. Sussman. 

Colorectal cancer screenings should begin by age 45 – earlier for those considered high risk. UHealth SoLé Mia provides patients a combination of convenience with world-class care. 

“We discuss how do we better serve this patient, what testing we should do for this patient. Get checked out and we’re here for you if you need us,” Dr. Rapoport says. 

Video transcript compiled by Janna Ross for ‘Focusing on You: Innovations in Modern Medicine,’ a series of healthcare-related stories airing regularly on ABC-Miami Channel 18.  For more stories like this one, visit UHealth’s YouTube channel.

Tags: colon cancer, colonoscopy, colorectal cancer, Dr. Daniel Sussman, Dr. Grigoriy Rapoport, focusing on you, gastroenterologist