AN OUNCE OF PREVENTION WHEN IT COMES TO COLON CANCER, AWARENESS AND TAKING PROVEN PREVENTIVE ACTION ARE THE KEYS TO REMAINING HEALTHY. BY JOANN GUIDRY
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ay colonoscopy and watch people cringe. Mention colon cancer and more than likely, they will quickly change the subject. For most of us, neither topic makes for good conversation. But considering that colon cancer is the third most commonly diagnosed cancer and the second-leading cause of death in men and women combined in the United States, maybe we should be talking about it more. The National Cancer Institute estimates that there will be more than 140,000 new
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diagnosed cases of colon cancer and more than 50,000 deaths from the disease in 2012. Taking into account those sobering statistics and with March being National Colon Cancer Awareness Month, now is as good a time as any to initiate a discussion. Ocala Style recently talked with Dr. Christian O. Oraedu, a board-certified colon and rectal surgeon with Ocala-based Surgical Consultants of Central Florida, about the health topic most people prefer not to talk about.