Gastroenterologist Caitlin Foley, MD, Ph.D., strongly advocates colorectal screening, beginning at age 45.

When found early, colon cancer can be cured. However, without screening, it can progress to advanced stages before symptoms develop, making it the fourth leading cause of cancer death in the United States.

Dr. Foley of St. Luke’s Gastroenterology sees patients in Palmerton and Allentown.

As a gastroenterologist, she treats the organs of the digestive system - esophagus, stomach, intestines and biliary organs, including the liver, bile ducts, pancreas and gallbladder. She performs procedures including endoscopy and colonoscopy.

“Through colonoscopy, we can actually prevent people from developing colon cancer,” she said. “Colon cancer starts as a precancerous polyp that grows and turns into cancer. We can find polyps when they are tiny and remove them during a colonoscopy to prevent someone from developing colon cancer. Or, if you catch cancer early, usually you can cure the patient by surgery and other means.”

A colonoscopy is considered the gold standard of colon cancer screening.

While the patient is sedated, a physician uses a thin, flexible tube with a light and a camera to examine the rectum and colon, Dr. Foley explained. Colonoscopies should be repeated every 10 years, or sooner, if your physician finds polyps or there is a family history of colon cancer.

Other types of colon cancer screening are available using stool testing. However, a colonoscopy is needed if stool testing is positive.

Know the symptoms

According to the American Cancer Society, colon cancer symptoms for men and women include:

• A change in bowel habits, such as diarrhea, constipation, or narrowing of the stool that lasts for more than a few days

• A feeling that you need to have a bowel movement that is not relieved by having one

• Rectal bleeding with bright red blood

• Blood in the stool, which might make it look dark brown or black

• Cramping or abdominal (belly) pain

• Weakness and fatigue

• Losing weight without trying

Crystal Hunter, 49, of Bethlehem, ignored her symptoms at first. She attributed the constipation she was experiencing to not drinking enough water and the iron supplements she was taking for a mild case of iron deficiency. However, when she experienced rectal bleeding, she contacted her primary care physician, who recommended a colonoscopy.

Dr. Foley performed Hunter’s colonoscopy in 2021, which confirmed that Hunter had colon cancer. Crystal underwent surgical treatment to remove the tumor and chemotherapy to prevent recurrence.

“I was always the strong one in the family,” Hunter said. “I’m a go-getter who gets things done. I’m the one who takes care of people. The hardest part of having the cancer was my self-identity because suddenly, I was the one who needed someone to care for me.”

Colonoscopies have since shown Hunter to be cancer-free. She has enough energy to work at a school in East Orange, N.J., and be an active grandmother to her seven grandchildren, including two she is raising.

“The biggest thing I would tell people is to take an active part in your healthcare,” said Hunter. “Something you may not think is important may be a sign of a bigger problem. Dr. Foley was wonderful with me. Even after my colonoscopy, when the diagnosis came back, she was mindful of and attentive to my response. Her bedside manner is commendable.”

What other tests are out there?

Other popular types of cancer screening are:

• FIT (Fecal Immunochemical Test) is a stool-based test that a physician orders. The patient collects the specimen at home and then sends it to the lab, where it is examined for small amounts of blood. If it is positive, a colonoscopy is scheduled. It is repeated every 1-2 years.

• Cologuard is also a home-based test ordered by a physician. The kit is mailed to the patient’s home. After the patient collects the specimen, they send it to an outside lab that tests it for blood or DNA markers that help to identify colon cancers. It must be repeated every three years. If it is positive, the physician will order a colonoscopy.

Call 484-526-6545 to schedule an appointment with Dr. Foley or the team at St. Luke’s Gastroenterology.