As Colon Cancer Awareness Month draws to a close Ibn Al Nafees Hospital consultant physician gastroenterologist Dr Jehad Al Qamish and consultant gastroenterologist and hepatologist Dr Maheeba Abdulla encourage screening.
After graduating from medical school Dr Al Qamish chose this sub-speciality as he found gastroenterology very interesting due to the combination of procedures and varying conditions associated with the field.
After completing fellowships in New Zealand, Australia and the UK, he returned to Bahrain and worked in another hospital for several years before joining Ibn Al Nafees.
During March the medical community focuses on preventing colon cancer by offering men and women aged 50 years old screening procedures.
“It is the second cancer after the breast in women and the lung in men,” said Dr Al Qamish.
“The prevention of colon cancer is important because if you can screen for that disease then you can prevent the progression of cancer, and there are quite a lot of people getting colon cancer.”
Screening differs by country, with some carrying out stool tests before a colonoscopy and others providing a colonoscopy straight away.
Individuals aged 50 are encouraged to visit Dr Al Qamish or Dr Maheeba Abdulla even if they are not experiencing symptoms, as not only is prevention better than cure, if symptoms are present, then the disease has already progressed.
“The idea of screening is basically to detect polyps, which are the pre-disposing condition for colon cancer, so most colon cancer starts like a small polyp in the colon, which can be detected easily by colonoscopy and can be removed,” said Dr Al Qamish.
“They are benign conditions, but if left undetected, within five to 10 years they progress to cancer.
“The message is to get someone with no symptoms to go and get screened.
“If you start having symptoms due to cancer, it’s a late presentation.
“We don’t want people to reach that stage.”
While the average age for colon cancer screening is 50, Dr Al Qamish suggests seeking medical advice if you have a family history of it or conditions in the colon – such as colitis.
Although many may be fearful of undergoing a colonoscopy, the doctors explained that it is a short procedure, conducted under conscious sedation that can be completed as a day patient.
“In Bahrain, unfortunately we don’t have a national screening programme for colon cancer,” added Dr Al Qamish.
“It’s done on an individual basis, so people come for tests when they are worried or friends have colon cancer and they wonder how to prevent it.”
Dr Al Qamish also highlighted the importance of visiting an experienced doctor.
“We are looking for tiny small things so we need to have a very clean colon and an operator who is experienced to look at these points and remove them safely as complications come if you remove them without knowing how to do that,” he said.
Patients can visit Dr Jehad Al Qamish or Dr Maheeba Abdulla at Ibn Al Nafees Hospital for Colon Cancer Screening.
Call 17828202 or 17828282 to make an appointment.