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.
Individuals who have undergone colon cancer surgery
are at higher risk of developing another colon cancer in the future.
It usually is recommended that they undergo a repeat colonoscopy after 6 to 12 months and every 3 years
thereafter. Early detection and treatment of future polyps and early cancers can
significantly improve chances of survival. The annual testing of stool for
occult blood continues.
Patients
with long standing ulcerative colitis also have a
higher risk of
developing colorectal cancer. The risk of developing colon
cancer is
proportional to the duration of disease and to the extent of
colon
involved by colitis. Thus, patients with chronic ulcerative
colitis
involving the entire colon should have a colonoscopy every 1
to 2
years after having the colitis for 10 years or more. During
the
procedure, biopsies are taken from the colon to look for
early,
microscopic precancerous changes in the cells. If precancerous cells are
detected, colonoscopy is repeated 3 months later. If still present,
doctors
may discuss with the patient the benefits of surgically removing the
colon
to prevent colon cancer. If the colitis is limited to only the
left colon,
the same surveillance program is started 15 years after the onset
of colitis. For more information, please see the Ulcerative
Colitis article.
Colorectal cancer may run in
families. Colon cancer risk to an
individual is even higher if more than one immediate family member
(parents, siblings or children) has had colorectal cancer, and/or the family
member
developed the cancer at a young age (less
than 55).
Under these circumstances, it is recommended that individuals undergo a colonoscopy every
three years
starting at an age that is 7-10
years younger
than the age at which the family member who developed colorectal cancer
at
the youngest age developed his or her cancer.
If only one immediate family member developed colorectal cancer at an advanced age, the
colon cancer risk
to the individual is still higher than average but not as
high as
if two immediate family members developed colorectal cancer or if a family
member
developed colorectal cancer at an early age. Whether and when
to perform
screening colonoscopies in these individuals are best decided jointly
by
the individuals and their doctors.
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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