Dr. Oz Diagnosed with Colon Polyps
The television doctor who doles out healthful living advice has been diagnosed with colon polyps.
Once Dr. Mehmet Oz turned 50, he took his own advice and scheduled a colonoscopy. Unfortunately he was diagnosed with a colon polyps.
Dr. Jonathan LaPook removed a single benign polyp, which statistically is not known to be cancerous. However, almost all cancerous polyps begin as a simple benign growth. There is just no way of knowing which ones will become cancerous, so all polyps are removed.
In this country, there are approximately 143,000 new cases of colon cancer diagnosed each year, with over 51,000 dying from the disease. That is why the initial screening is so important.
A lifestyle of drinking, smoking, eating red and processed meats, combined with obesity and lack of exercise substantially increases your risk. Although there is no guarantee that even if you do follow healthful habits. Seventy percent of the cases have no family history, which makes the screening all that more critical.
Along with colonoscopy, screening tests also include virtual colonoscopy using a CT scan, barium enema, flexible sigmoidoscopy and various stool tests looking for blood and other markers.
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