Baptist Health Floyd Launches High Risk Colon Cancer Clinic

Baptist Health Floyd Launches High Risk Colon Cancer Clinic

The Baptist Health Floyd Cancer Center of Indiana has launched a High Risk Colon Cancer Clinic that is designed to screen patients with hereditary red flags of inherited gastrointestinal cancers and Lynch Syndrome. It identifies individuals who carry the mutation that places them at a higher risk of developing a hereditary cancer. Baptist Health Floyd has partnered with Gastroenterology of Southern Indiana and many other healthcare organizations in the 80 by 2018 campaign to attempt to screen at least 80 percent of the population for colon cancer by 2018. The High Risk Colon Cancer Clinic gives the population that could have genetically indicated gastrointestinal cancers an additional tool for colon cancer screenings and medical management. Genetic testing, along with recommended colonoscopies, helps the patient and family members know how aggressive they need to be with their medical management. Educating as many families as possible of their potential risk is extremely important. Although no cancer is predictable or preventable, early detection increases the rates of survival. The overall lifetime risk of developing colorectal cancer: • One in 21 (4.7 percent) for men • One in 23 (4.4 percent) in women • Three of every 100 colon cancers are caused by Lynch Syndrome If a patient identifies with any known mutation in their family or family history, recommendations on medical management are made in order to intensely monitor any new developments. For more information or to schedule an appointment, call the Baptist Health Floyd Cancer Center of Indiana's risk coordinator at (812) 948-4332.