Colonoscopies have had an air of dread surrounding them, but one could potentially save your life.
March is honored as Colorectal Cancer Awareness Month, promoting education efforts for one of the most common cancers in the United States.
In honor of raising awareness, the LIJ Medical Center in New Hyde Park brought the colon from inside of you to right in front of your eyes with a giant inflatable version of the organ in tandem with information.
While a 20-foot, inflatable colon is somewhat of a silly sight, and definitely one you can’t miss, its alluring hilarity draws people in to check it out and, in turn, learn about colorectal cancer. Education is the main goal with the possibility of saving someone’s life through it.
“You see this thing, and people say, ‘Well, why is that there?’” said Dr. John Ricci, chief of colorectal surgery. “And it’s because colon cancer is something you should be thinking about… Sometimes, you need to be reminded of the things you need to do.”
Ricci’s education and professional career in treating colorectal cancer is not the only way he’s learned about the disease, though. He was first introduced to the idea through his father.
Ricci’s father was diagnosed with colon cancer when he was young but caught the disease early. This has led to him living a fruitful life, now 85 years old and still getting his colonoscopies every three years.
With an understanding of the personal and familial effects of the disease, Ricci said this has strengthened his ability to work with his patients and connect with them over what is oftentimes a frightening diagnosis.
Colorectal cancer accounted for 8% of new cancer diagnoses in 2024, the fourth highest. But they also accounted for 9% of cancer deaths in the same year, or the second highest of all cancers, according to the National Cancer Institute.
Colonoscopies are a medical necessity associated with aging, but with recent studies showing cancer afflicting more younger individuals, this has changed. Now, Ricci said he recommends that his patients get colonoscopies starting at the age of 45, formerly starting at age 50.
Ricci said he sees patients as young as in their 30s being diagnosed with colorectal cancers and more frequently in their 40s.
Fortunately, intervention efforts are available for colorectal cancer patients and can be effective, especially when the disease is caught early.
Ricci said about 70% of individuals with colorectal cancer do not display symptoms, stressing the importance of routine colonoscopies to screen for a more hidden disease. He said patients are typically in an earlier stage of cancer when they are asymptomatic.
But some people have symptoms, such as changes in their bowel habits, blood in stool, change in the amount of stool and unexpected weight loss. This is when Ricci said patients should definitely speak with their doctor and potentially schedule a colonoscopy.
Colonoscopies are critical in diagnosing colorectal cancers, but they get a bad rap.
Ricci said the actual procedure isn’t the hard part because the patient is asleep throughout it. It’s the preparation beforehand when the patient follows a very restrictive diet and takes laxatives to clear their digestive tract.
But today, the preparation no longer involves copious amounts of laxatives and sometimes patients are permitted to eat a little bit more than they could in the past. Ricci said this makes it easier and eases the fears of colonoscopies.
When walking through the inflatable colon, you’re seeing what Ricci would see during a colonoscopy. On the walls are polyps, some cancerous, some not, which would be removed during the procedure and biopsied for cancer.
Ricci said all cancer starts with polyps, but not al polyps are cancerous if caught early enough. This is why all are removed and tested during the procedure.
For early-stage colorectal cancers, surgery is a common option to remove the cancerous polyps or growths. Depending on what is found in the biopsied portion, sometimes chemotherapy is the next step.
In these early-stage intervention treatments, Ricci said a cure is a likely goal.
But even in cases where it is metastasized or the cancer has grown to other parts of the body, Ricci said survival rates can still be within the 40%-50% range.
“So even stage four disease is treatable and we have many options to treat it,” Ricci said.
Regular check-ups when there are seemingly no symptoms pressing a person to be seen by a doctor can oftentimes be pushed to the wayside, but in this case, Ricci said it is critical to be diligent in scheduling colonoscopies to catch the disease early when it is more treatable and curable.
“You just have to take a step back and make sure you’re getting your general maintenance,” Ricci said. “You’re like a car. You have to get your maintenance intermittent.”
