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Statewide tour offers up-close look at oversized colon cancer

By Jamie Lampros - Special to the Standard-Examiner | Mar 4, 2023

Photo supplied, Intermountain Healthcare

An inflatable colon is displayed at St. George Regional Hospital in this undated photo.

A 12-foot-tall, 113 pound inflatable colon will be making its way through Intermountain Health hospitals throughout March in an effort to bring awareness of colon cancer and the importance of potentially life-saving screenings.

The community colorectal cancer awareness campaign, “Let’s Get to the Bottom of It,” kicked off its campaign in St. George last week and will tour 21 hospitals in Utah and Idaho over the month.

The interactive tour will give the public an opportunity to see what it looks like inside a human colon. The walk through will include the different stages of colorectal cancer.

“This is an interactive opportunity for the public to see what the inside of a colon looks like,” said Dr. Nathan Merriman, medical director of gastroenterology and digestive health at Intermountain Health. “As people walk through the 12-foot, 113-pound inflatable colon, it depicts the different stages of colorectal cancer, starting with the earliest stage of a precancerous colon polyp. We hope this helps educate people about recommended screenings and raise awareness about how to prevent this disease.”

The American Cancer Society estimates that more than 153,000 people in the United States will be diagnosed with colorectal cancer this year alone. It is the third most common cancer diagnosed in both men and women and the second leading cause of total cancer related deaths.

Photo supplied, Intermountain Healthcare

An inflatable colon is displayed at St. George Regional Hospital in this undated photo.

The campaign will emphasize that colon cancer is one of the most treatable forms of the disease, though it can only be found through screenings. People with an average risk of colon cancer should start the screening process at 45 years old.

“The giant inflatable colon is definitely a conversation starter. It illustrates how colon cancer develops from polyps and shows how physicians inspect a colon for precancerous polyps,” said Dr. Christoph Woerlein, a gastroenterologist at St. George Regional Hospital. “It also drives home the point that prevention is the best strategy to beat cancer.”

Woelerin said colon cancer is preventable, treatable and beatable if detected early.

A colonoscopy is an examination of the inside of your colon. It is currently the most effective way of screening for colon cancer, precancerous growths and polyps. If an abnormal mass or polyp is found during the outpatient procedure, the physician will identify the best course of treatment, which may include removing it during the procedure.

“Finding and removing precancerous growths during a colonoscopy can prevent cancer from developing,” Merriman said. “Delays in screening could lead to a delayed cancer diagnosis. A screening can really save a life and protect a family. We need everyone’s help to work together to prevent colon cancer across our communities.”

The inflatable colon will be at the following locations:

  • March 20 at Intermountain American Fork Hospital
  • March 21 at Intermountain Spanish Fork Hospital
  • March 22 at Intermountain Utah Valley Hospital
  • March 23 at Intermountain Layton Hospital
  • March 24 at Intermountain McKay-Dee Hospital

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