Script

COLON CANCER AWARENESS
DR. RAJESH SHAH, GASTROENTEROLOGIST, BAYLOR SCOTT & WHITE HEALTH

{**INTRO**}

Nearly 50,000 people will die this year- of a totally preventable illness.

{**TAKE VO**}

That’s the message one doctor hopes to drive home when it comes to colon cancer.

Dr. Rajesh Shah says while colon cancer is the third most common cause of cancer-related deaths…screening methods- like colonoscopies- do a great job of detecting potential problems before they become cancerous- and before they create symptoms.

{**TAKE SOT**}

SOT
TRT :22
Dr. Rajesh Shah
Baylor Scott & White Health

“We want to catch this before there's ever symptoms. That's the whole idea of screening. But symptoms of colon cancer include rectal bleeding changes in bowel habits that will go on for days. Persistent abdominal pain, unintentional weight loss or unusual weight loss. And then another thing might be anemia caught on random blood tests.

{**TAG**}

He says people with or without high risk factors- like colon cancer in their family history- are encouraged to have a conversation with their physician about when to start getting colonoscopies.