Blue water for early detection and prevention of cancer

“This type of cancer can be prevented and people need to know that 45 is the new 50,” Medical School Dean and radiologist Dr. Alan Sechtin added.  Dr. Chowdhary goes further to say, “There are many reasons to be screened with colonoscopy at age 45, such as if one of more of your second or third degree relatives had CRC.  If a first degree relative has had CRC at any age, then it’s best to have a colonoscopy at age 40, or 10 years before the earliest diagnosis of CRC, whichever is younger.  Other disease such as Inflammatory bowel disease and family history of certain polyps also need screening before age 45.”  Beginning today, Thursday March 17th, and continuing through the end of March, the fountain beside the statue of legendary Florence family physician and community activist Dr. Roswell Nathaniel Beck, Sr.  “It’s fitting that Dr. Beck guards the fountain, as health disparity reduction is part of his legacy, and broader use of clinical preventive services – such as colonoscopy – can do this,” explained family physician Dr. Joseph Hoyle.  According to the 2022 report from the President’s Cancer Panel, “Cancer screening can save lives and reduce the burden of cancer. However, gaps in cancer screening mean too many in the United States are unnecessarily enduring aggressive treatment or dying from cancers that could have been prevented or detected at earlier, more easily treated stages. This includes disproportionate numbers of socially and economically disadvantaged populations and many at elevated risk for cancer due to inherited mutations in cancer susceptibility genes.” Colorectal cancer screening tests may be covered by your health insurance policy without a deductible or co-pay. Even without health insurance, many South Carolinians are eligible for screening through the Colorectal Cancer Prevention Network. Physicians such as Dr. Sechtin and Hoyle will be in attendance at the annual continuing medical education forum on Friday afternoon, March 18th, at the Luther F. Carter Center for Health Sciences.  

For more information, or for additional contact, you may use

• Florence County Medical Society

• Pre Cancer Panel

• SCDHEC