Game Changer
Cleansing for colonoscopies just got a lot easier.
Although colon cancer is the second-leading cause of cancer-related deaths that affect both women and men, according to the Centers for Disease Control, at least 60 percent of colon-cancer deaths could be avoided if everyone age 50 and older received regular screening tests. March is National Colon Cancer Awareness Month, and a new, less intensive option for colonoscopy prep based in Austin could play an important role in fighting this highly preventable disease.
Austin Gastroenterology, one of the largest gastroenterology groups in the state of Texas, partnered with HyGIeaCare Inc. to develop the Austin HyGIeaCare Center, a facility where patients can go on the same day as their scheduled colonoscopy to experience a simple, easy bowel prep in a safe, clean and comfortable environment. The center in Austin is the first of its kind in the United States, and there are similar centers opening in Dallas, Phoenix and Norfolk, Va.
Traditionally, patients who are scheduled for a colonoscopy will be asked to go on a liquid diet one to three days prior to the test. They are asked to drink a laxative powder or take a pill to cleanse the bowels, which causes diarrhea, making it necessary to stay close to a bathroom during this time.
Same-day prep avoids these steps. For this method, the patient simply takes a prescription the night before the procedure and limits herself to liquids starting at noon on the day before the test.
“You don’t have to miss work like you might on traditional prep days. You don’t have to drink a large volume of liquids. You don’t have to lose sleep or stay up all night going to the bathroom,” says Dr. Bruce Levy, chief executive officer of Austin Gastroenterology and Austin Endoscopy Centers. All these things make this method very attractive to many patients.
During HyGIeaCare same-day prep, a patient goes to a private room, where a trained prep-tech walks her through the procedure. The entire prep usually takes about 40 minutes, after which the patient has her colonoscopy procedure.
Levy says he believes this procedure may encourage people who have avoided colonoscopies in the past because they did not want to undergo the traditional prep to go ahead with this life-saving procedure.
“About 40 percent of people who need a colonoscopy refuse to get them,” Levy says. “We want people to get colonoscopies because we really believe we can effectively fight colon cancer. Colon cancer is the one form of cancer that can be cured before it even begins if you remove the polyps.”
Currently, insurance does not cover this new type of prep, but the center is offering the service at a reasonable price: $245.
“We are not doing this to get rich. This is for us to provide care and a service for patients,” Levy says.
For more information, call HyGIeaCare Inc. at 512.717.0772, or visit hygieacare.com or austingastro.com.
The Importance of Colonoscopies
A colonoscopy is an outpatient procedure performed by a trained specialist who uses a colonoscope (a narrow, flexible, lit tube that has a tiny camera attached to one end) to view the inside of the rectum and colon. This allows the physician to see colon polyps, or growths, on the surface of the colon. Colon polyps may be benign, or they may be precancerous or cancerous growths. During the colonoscopy, the polyps can be removed and sent for laboratory testing to determine if they are malignant (cancerous) or benign (non-cancerous). In addition, the doctor can find and remove any colon tissue that has an abnormal appearance and have it tested.
When a patient has precancerous polyps or early stage colorectal cancer, she usually will not have symptoms. The good news is that colon cancer is a slow-growing cancer, and 90 percent of cases that are found in the early stages are curable, which demonstrates the absolute importance of screening.
Risk Factors for Colon Cancer
Current guidelines from the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force state people age 50 and older with average risk factors should receive an initial colonoscopy followed by additional colonoscopies every 10 years or more, depending on the findings from the initial screening. Patients who are considered at high risk for colon cancer should talk to a doctor to determine if they may need to be screened earlier than age 50. Certain factors increase your risk for colon cancer, including:
• being age 50 or older
• a family history of colon or rectal cancer
• a personal history of any of the following: colon, rectal, ovarian, endometrial or breast cancer, or having a history of colon polyps
• history of ulcerative colitis or Crohn’s disease
• hereditary conditions such as adenomatous polyposis or hereditary nonpolyposis colon cancer, or Lynch syndrome
Staying Healthy Through the Years
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