SALT LAKE CITY — Living a healthy lifestyle is one of the best methods to avoid colon cancer, according to doctors who participated in Saturday's health hotline.
Doctors fielded more than a dozen calls during the February Deseret News/Intermountain Healthcare Health Hotline, dealing with gastrointestinal issues. A handful of calls were from older adults who were uncertain whether an additional colonoscopy was necessary when an initial scope revealed no problems.
"People are living well into their 90s now," said Dr. Tae Kim, a colorectal surgeon at Intermountain's LDS Hospital. "I'm not about to give anyone any ultimatums."
He said he assesses the value of medical procedures based on the overall health of his patients and not their age. If someone is relatively healthy, he said a colonoscopy at 80 years of age is not entirely out of the question.
Dr. Robert Jones, a gastroenterologist at Intermountain Medical Center and Mountain West Gastroenterology, said he often recommends that patients try over-the-counter probiotics or a fiber supplement, to maintain bowel movement regularity.
"You're looking for a supplement that provides different strains of probiotics but also that are good quality," he said, adding that many available products contain inactive bacteria, which won't provide any results. Jones eats Greek yogurt every morning for breakfast, which contains good strains of probiotic bacteria, and he stirs a spoonful of Benefiber into his coffee for regularity.
"Fiber can help with regularity, but it can also increase the incidence of gas and bloating," Jones cautioned.
Individuals with more severe cases of irritable bowel syndrome, which also causes bloating and gas, he said, may be treated with a course of antibiotics and then counseled to take a daily regimen of probiotics. About 50 percent of patients, he said, will see relief from that course of therapy.
Two probiotic supplements that Jones consistently recommends for patients experiencing irregular bowel movements, as well as gas or bloating, include Align, and a product called VSL#3. Each, he said, will cost about $30 a month.
While the doctors didn't take too many calls regarding colon cancer specifically, they continued to urge patients to receive colonoscopies at least by their 50th birthday, earlier if the disease runs in the family. After that, they said to get one every three to five years.
A colonoscopy is a proven method of screening for rectal and colon cancer. It allows doctors to see directly inside the entire colon, to find and remove polyps before they grow, spread or become cancerous.
Kim has said that almost all cases of colon cancer can be cured, "if it is caught early enough."
The health hotline is offered to readers through a partnership between Intermountain Healthcare and the Deseret News. It covers a different health topic the second Saturday of each month.
E-mail: wleonard@desnews.com
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