On Friday, my eldest sister (70 years old) was diagnosed with colon cancer. She weighs as much as I did before DS, around 300 lbs, and obesity is a risk factor for colon cancer. She has a good attitude about it, since it appears it hasn't metastasized and she said "you got to die of something" with a laugh. I have been thinking I had a reduced risk of colon cancer because I lost weight and didn't have a family history that I knew about, so I have put off having colonoscopy. But, on Friday night, I started reading about bariatric surgery and colon cancer. There aren't many studies of people who are 10 years out from surgery, but a Swedish study looked at the band, VBG, and gastric bypass, but not specifically at DS. They looked at 77,000 obese patients over a decade and found that in those who had undergone WLS, the number of colon cancer cases was twice what was expected. (Not to be alarmist, the expected rate of colon cancer was 20 in 100,000 and double that would be 40 in 100,000.) Shorter term studies of all cancer after WLS and specifically colon cancer are almost all more positive, and show a decreased risk after WLS. Other doctors who made comments on this study suggested WLS patients have a higher long term risk factors for colon cancer like meat protein intake, low fiber intake, and higher levels of GLP-1, digestive hormones and bile acids, which are all known to stimulate intestinal cell growth.
For me, with diabetes, hypertension, and high cholesterol, DS was life saving. But I shouldn't have been avoiding colonoscopy. (On the subject of family history, my mother in her final days told my older sister that my uncle had died of colorectal cancer. My mother and my older sister didn't share this with the rest of the family because they were embarrassed by it. Lung cancer, breast cancer--no problem talking about it. But not colorectal cancer.) On Monday, I am calling my internist for a referral for colonoscopy. Even though I am concerned about dehydration and my reactive hypoglycemia, and not wanting to mess with my colon after DS, I know now that I can't put it off.
For me, with diabetes, hypertension, and high cholesterol, DS was life saving. But I shouldn't have been avoiding colonoscopy. (On the subject of family history, my mother in her final days told my older sister that my uncle had died of colorectal cancer. My mother and my older sister didn't share this with the rest of the family because they were embarrassed by it. Lung cancer, breast cancer--no problem talking about it. But not colorectal cancer.) On Monday, I am calling my internist for a referral for colonoscopy. Even though I am concerned about dehydration and my reactive hypoglycemia, and not wanting to mess with my colon after DS, I know now that I can't put it off.
