Tour through a giant colon

Oceanside residents were virtually led through a giant, inflatable colon at Mount Sinai South Nassau last Wednesday during the hospital’s Colon Cancer Awareness Week.

Dr. Frank Gress, Chief of the Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology and a colon cancer expert at Mount Sinai South Nassau led the tour through the 20-foot-long inflatable colon that depicted different stages of the intestine’s lining.

“We know that if we do screenings, particularly with colonoscopy, we can identify the causes of colon polyps,” Dr. Gress said. “And if we can do a colonoscopy and find those polyps, we can remove them and basically cure cancer in a way because you’ll never get it once we take it out.”

Polyps are often caused by diet and associated with other common risk factors like diabetes, obesity, and smoking. Dr. Gress advised those watching in-person and over the hospital’s Facebook livestream that blood in stool, bloating, changes in bowel habits, abdominal discomfort and weight loss are warning signs of colon cancer. Colon cancer is the second-leading cause of cancer deaths in the United States according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. March is Colorectal Cancer Awareness Month in the U.S.

Recommendations now state that Americans should start getting colonoscopies when they turn 45. If you have a first-degree relative with colon cancer or polyps, it is advised to get your own colonoscopy ten years before their diagnosis.

“This is important because we’re seeing a lot of colon cancer in younger patients. And I’m taking in their thirties,” Dr. Gress said. “We’re not really sure why yet, but it’s very concerning. It could be family history. It could be diet.”