There are 1,348,087 people living with colon cancer. Sadly, the beloved actor Chadwick Boseman lost his battle with this horrific disease at the age of 43. His passing, while tragic and devastating, has brought much needed attention to a disease which strikes 137,000 people per year and takes the lives of approximately 50,000. The good news is that colon cancer, if found early, is highly treatable.
Dr. William Johnston, a physician with a specialty in internal medicine, shares his expertise on early detection and ways to reduce your risk which include exercise and weight management. Listen to audio or read transcription below.
If you need support with your fitness program or need motivation to get started, our in home personal trainers are eager to help.
*This segment is dedicated to the memory and legacy of Chadwick Boseman.
Complete Transcript
Faith Ritter:
Hi and welcome to Faith on Fitness. My name is Faith Ritter and I am the Communications Director here at Benefit Personal Training. Benefit is an in-home personal fitness training company dedicated to helping mature clients stay strong, fit and healthy today and throughout their entire lives. And I am honored to be here tonight with Dr. William Johnston, who is a physician with a specialty in internal medicine. Welcome Dr. Johnson. How are you tonight?
Dr. William Johnston:
Thank you. Very, very glad to be here. Thank you.
Faith Ritter:
Good. I’m thrilled to have you. I’m thrilled to have you. So we’re here talking about colon cancer, right? And it’s doubtful that we would even be discussing this topic had it not been for the untimely death of the beloved Chadwick Boseman. And while his death was tragic and devastating and totally unexpected, I believe it’s brought some much needed attention to a disease that impacts on a yearly basis over 137,000 people. So I know you have a lot to say about this topic, so we’re just going to jump right in. So Dr. Johnston, I’m just curious to know, since Chadwick’s death have you noticed an increase in the number of clients who have been inquiring about screening and prevention, or even have your colleagues been discussing this topic more since Chadwick’s death?
Dr. William Johnston:
I notice that there was more conversations by patients, neighbors and doctors.
Faith Ritter:
Right. Right. And what have been the concerns? Are they inquiring about screening? What has been their major concern?
Dr. William Johnston:
Some of the biggest concerns were about screening because people didn’t want to miss guidelines and they realized that you could be relatively young as well.
Faith Ritter:
Right. Right. And it certainly was the case with Chadwick. So here’s the challenge. Most people don’t really think about colon cancer…it doesn’t hit most people’s radar screens until age 50. Right? Because that’s what we’ve been conditioned to do, given the recommendations for when you’re supposed to get that [initial] screening. But the reality is that Chadwick passed at age 43, but he was diagnosed at age 39. So the question is, how common is this? And should younger people be more concerned about their risk?
Dr. William Johnston:
To my knowledge, it doesn’t happen that commonly, but it can happen. It means people have to, in certain populations, people need to start looking earlier.
Faith Ritter:
Okay. So on that note, I read that there has been an increase in colon cancer diagnosis among people below that age 50 recommended screening age. And as a result, the American Cancer Society recently updated their guidelines and now they’re recommending that people get their first screening at age 45. So while this is certainly a move in the right direction, do you think it goes far enough in terms of prevention?
Dr. William Johnston:
I think that those guidelines are good. They’re created based on population statistics. They’re a good start, but actually the awareness needs to go further. It needs to go further.
Faith Ritter:
Okay. And just elaborate more Dr. Johnston. What do you mean?
Dr. William Johnston:
Because there’s certain people that because of family history, they may have other diseases that can develop into cancers earlier. And in some instances, family history of young people. So those people need to be aware and need to have a conversation with their docs.
Faith Ritter:
Okay. Gotcha. So that leads to the next question. So in terms of screening, there are two options from what I’ve been told. The mail-in home screening and then the full fledged colonoscopy. So do you have a recommendation as to which one is ideal at certain junctures of time? What are your recommendations in terms of the home-based screening versus the full fledged colonoscopy that people try to avoid like the plague.
Dr. William Johnston:
That’s why I recommend that when people think that something’s wrong, they need to have a conversation with the doc so that they can plan together the best way to start the screening and at what point.
Faith Ritter:
So you’ve recommended both depending on the patient and what you think is most appropriate.
Dr. William Johnston:
Definitely. Because it’s difficult to tell exactly based on symptoms or based on history available. So you have to make sure that you pick the best approach based on that patient and the population you belong to.
Faith Ritter:
Okay. Perfect. Perfect. Now let’s talk about causes. So from my research, it says that most people think it’s a combination. It’s not one variable over another. It’s a combination of social factors, genetic factors and environmental factors. So can you elaborate for us and explain how all these factors work together?
Dr. William Johnston:
Well, I definitely think it is a combination of factors or we may say the cause may be multifactorial. Clearly, if you get one of those factors, it gives you a higher risk. If you get two or three of those factors on the same individual, it could actually make a younger person be at a moderate to high risk.
Faith Ritter:
Okay. Gotcha. Gotcha. So there’s not one factor that is more at play than another. Certainly in Chadwick’s case, it would seem that there was a genetic factor at play. Would you agree with that?
Dr. William Johnston:
That is probably the case, but without knowing more about his history, very difficult to make that assumption. But you have to think that that would probably play a part or maybe other family members may have had a history as well.
Faith Ritter:
Okay. Gotcha. Gotcha. So Dr. Johnston just allay some of our concerns, speak to the men and women out there who they know what happened to Chadwick, now it’s on their radar screen and now they’re like, okay, I’ve been avoiding this topic for too long. I need to get serious about lowering my risk. What are the things that people can start doing today to lower their risk of developing this disease?
Dr. William Johnston:
People talk in terms of watching the diet and losing weight. But most importantly, if they see something, they need to say something to their doc. That’s one of the most important factors.
Faith Ritter:
Now, what should they be looking for Dr. Johnson? What exactly should they be looking for?
Dr. William Johnston:
It would be so many things. It may be abdominal discomfort, they could have weight loss, blood in the stool. Those are some of the common things.
Faith Ritter:
Okay. And if they notice anything like that, they should not try to diagnose it themselves. They should bring that to their doctor’s attention.
Dr. William Johnston:
As soon as possible. They need to tell their doc so they can have a discussion.
Faith Ritter:
Okay. Now you mentioned as soon as possible, which I think is important to discuss because this disease is highly preventable, correct, if the necessary precautions are taken and it’s caught early, correct?
Dr. William Johnston:
The earlier you catch it the better and it doesn’t wait for you. It doesn’t wait for anybody.
Faith Ritter:
Right. So what about the role of exercise? You know we are a personal fitness training company, doc. So what about the role of weight management and exercise with respect to reducing the risk? Is there a connection there?
Dr. William Johnston:
As you can imagine, there’s much debate about exercise and diet. But a lot of sources seem to agree, glucose can cause some vascular and inflammatory changes. So cut down the glucose in the diet, exercise to get the weight down so you have a better effect of insulin in your body. All those things can contribute and decrease your risk.
Faith Ritter:
Wonderful, wonderful. Well Dr. Johnston, you gave us a lot of information in a short period of time. So just recap for us the three or four things that you want our listeners to come away with today. If they remember nothing else, what are the top three or four things you want them to remember?
Dr. William Johnston:
Most important thing is always pay attention to your body. Try to get your old [medical] history, get it together, get a medical home so that you have a physician you can talk with. Make a plan and stick to that plan.
Faith Ritter:
Okay. Very good. Very good. Well, that’s sound advice Dr. Johnston and anyone under the sound of our voice right now, who has not had that conversation, today is the time to have it. Because with respect to colon cancer, well with respect to any form of cancer, but particularly colon cancer, time is of the essence. Correct?
Dr. William Johnston:
That’s right. Time is of the essence, it will not wait for you.
Faith Ritter:
Absolutely. Well, thank you so much Dr. Johnson. I really appreciate you sharing your expertise with us. And again, bringing some added really necessary attention to this topic that really does not get enough. So I really appreciate you and I hope to have you back again.
Dr. William Johnston:
Thank you for having me. Thank you.
Faith Ritter:
Thank you so much doctor, have a great night. Bye-bye