Dr. Lee was born in Shanghai, China, and received his college and medical training in the United States. He is fluent in English and three Chinese dialects. He graduated with chemistry departmental honors from Harvey Mudd College. He was appointed president of AOA society at UCLA School of Medicine. He underwent internal medicine residency and gastroenterology fellowship training at Cedars Sinai Medical Center.
Jay W. Marks, MD, is a board-certified internist and gastroenterologist. He graduated from Yale University School of Medicine and trained in internal medicine and gastroenterology at UCLA/Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles.
Flexible sigmoidoscopy utilizes a flexible sigmoidoscope, a flexible, fiberoptic viewing tube
with a light at the tip. It is inserted through the anus and is used by
the doctor to examine the rectum and the part of the colon adjacent to the rectum. It
is a shorter version of a colonoscope. Approximately 50% of colorectal cancers
and polyps are found to be within the reach of a flexible sigmoidoscope. It
is recommended that individuals of average risk for colon cancer undergo a
flexible sigmoidoscopy examination at age 50 and every 3-5 years thereafter. If
polyps are found during a flexible sigmoidoscopic examination, a colonoscopy to
examine the entire colon is recommended to remove the polyps as well as to find
and remove additional polyps in other parts of the colon. The removed polyps
are examined by a pathologist under a microscope to determine if the polyps
are benign, malignant or pre-cancerous. Individuals with precancerous
polyps (adenomas and villous adenomas) have a higher than average risk of
developing colon cancer, and it is recommended that they return periodically
for surveillance colonoscopies (see below). For more information about
this procedure, please see the Flexible
Sigmoidoscopy article.
Many doctors in the US are recommending screening colonoscopies rather than flexible
sigmoidoscopies for healthy subjects with an average risk for developing colon
cancer. Colonoscopies are recommended beginning at the age of 50 and thereafter every 7-10
years if no colon polyps or cancers are found. The rationale for this
recommendation is:
Colonoscopy examines the entire colon while
flexible sigmoidoscopy only examines the rectum and the colon adjacent to the
rectum.
Approximately 50% of colon polyps (and colon cancers)
are found in the upper colon (cecum, ascending colon, and transverse colon)
and, therefore, are beyond the reach of sigmoidoscopes and would be missed by
flexible sigmoidoscopy.
The National Polyp Study, a large, scientific study, has shown that
colonoscopy with removal of all colon polyps reduces deaths from colon cancer.
For more information about this procedure, please see the Colonoscopy
article.
Abdominal pain is pain in the belly and can be acute or chronic. Causes include inflammation, distention of an organ, and loss of the blood supply to an organ. Abdominal pain can reflect a major problem with one of the organs in the abdomen such as the appendix, gallbladder, large and small intestine, pancreas, liver, colon, duodenum, and spleen.
Colon cancer is a malignancy that arises from the inner lining of the colon. Most, if not all, of these cancers develop from colonic polyps. Removal of these precancerous polyps can prevent colon cancer.
Ulcerative colitis is a chronic inflammation of the colon. Symptoms include abdominal pain, diarrhea, and rectal bleeding. Ulcerative colitis is closely related to Crohn's disease, and together they are referred to as inflammatory bowel disease. Treatment depends upon the type of ulcerative colitis diagnosed.
Inflammation of the inner lining of the colon is referred to as colitis. Symptoms of the inflammation of the colon lining include diarrhea, pain, and blood in the stool. There are several causes of colitis including infection, ischemia of the colon, inflammatory bowel disease (Crohn's disease, Ulcerative colitis, or microscopic colitis). Treatment depends on the cause of the colitis.
Cancer is a disease caused by an abnormal growth of cells, also called malignancy. It is a group of 100 different diseases, and is not contagious. Cancer can be treated through chemotherapy, a treatment of drugs that destroy cancer cells.
A colon polyp is a benign tumor of the large intestine. Benign polyps do not invade nearby tissue or spread to other parts of the body. Benign polyps can easily be removed during colonoscopy and are not life threatening. If benign polyps are not removed from the large intestine, they can become malignant over time.
Anal cancer, cancer located at the end of the large intestine, has symptoms that include anal or rectal bleeding, anal pain or pressure, anal discharge or itching, a change in bowel movements, and/or a lump in the anal region. Treatment for anal cancer may involve radiation, chemotherapy, or surgery and depends upon the stage of the cancer, its location, whether cancer is eradicated after the first treatment, and whether the patient has HIV.
Though it's difficult to say why some people develop cancer while others don't, research shows that certain risk factors increase a person's odds of developing cancer. These risk factors include growing older, family history of cancer, diet, alcohol and tobacco use, and exposure to sunlight, ionizing radiation, certain chemicals, and some viruses and bacteria.
Digestion is the complex process of turning food you eat into the energy you need to survive. The digestive process also involves creating waste to be eliminated, and is made of a series of muscles that coordinate the movement of food.
Gardners' syndrome, or familial adenomatous polyposis (FAP), is an inherited condition in which cancer of the colon and rectum develop. Colon polyps and growths may develop as early as the teens. If these polyps are not removed, they will become cancerous. There are different inheritance patterns for familial adenomatous polyposis.
Disease prevention in men includes routine screening tests that are part of basic prevention medicine. Take an active role in your own health care and discuss screening tests with your doctor early in life. Age of screening and timing of screening depends upon the condition being assessed.
Disease prevention in women includes screening tests that are a basic part of prevention medicine. All screening tests
are commonly available through your general doctor. Some specialized tests may be available elsewhere.
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