Contact: Richard P. Gulla
781-434-7101
rgulla@mms.org
Waltham, Mass. -- May 11 -- Colorectal cancer is the second leading cause of cancer-related death for both men and women in the U.S. The American Cancer Society estimates that more than 134,000 cases will be diagnosed this year, with more than 50,000 deaths. The risk of the disease increases after age 50, but physicians are beginning to see more young people getting the disease, some as young as in their 20s.
This edition of Physician Focus discusses colorectal cancer, its causes, why screening for the condition is so important, the various screening techniques available, and how the cancer can actually be prevented.
Guests are Francis P. MacMillan, Jr., M.D., the owner and president of Merrimack Valley Gastroenterology in Haverhill and a founding member and current president of the
Massachusetts Gastroenterology Association; and Raj Devarajan, M.D., president of Middlesex Gastroenterology and Endoscopy Center in Acton, a member of the Board of Directors of the Massachusetts Gastroenterology Association, and president of the Medical Staff at Emerson Hospital in Concord. Both are board-certified gastroenterologists, physicians who specialize in the care of the gastrointestinal (digestive) system.
Hosting this edition is Bruce Karlin, M.D., a primary care physician in Worcester and Utilization Management Medical Director at Saint Vincent Hospital in Worcester.
Physician Focus is a noncommercial production of the Massachusetts Medical Society and Hopkinton (Mass.) Community Access Television, HCAM-TV. Now in its eleventh year, the monthly half-hour program brings viewers health and medical information on timely topics from physicians and other healthcare experts. Distributed as a public service, the program reaches more than 275 communities in Massachusetts each month through the courtesy of public access television stations. For details on the program, visit www.physicianfocus.org.
The Massachusetts Medical Society, with more than 25,000 physicians and student members, is dedicated to educating and advocating for the patients and physicians of Massachusetts. The Society, under the auspices of NEJM Group, publishes the New England Journal of Medicine, a leading global medical journal and web site, and NEJM Journal Watch alerts and publications covering 13 specialties. The Society is also a leader in continuing medical education for health care professionals throughout Massachusetts, conducting a variety of medical education programs for physicians and health care professionals. Founded in 1781, MMS is the oldest continuously operating medical society in the country.
HCAM-TV was founded April 1, 2004 by the Board of Selectmen of the Town of Hopkinton as a nonprofit corporation to manage local access to cable broadcast facilities. For information on HCAM, visit http://www.hcam.tv
