Patient With Persistent Bowel Irregularity Progresses To Advanced Colon Cancer

Case Overview

This case involves a 32-year old male patient with persistent symptoms of irritable bowel syndrome. The patient had a colonoscopy which revealed a polyp in his colon but pathology never investigated if it was pre-cancerous. For 3 years, the patient complained to his primary care physician of abdominal pain and bowel irregularities, but the physician never referred him for additional treatment or to another specialist. The patient was suffering extreme bouts of constipation and had another colonoscopy. He was found to have stage III colon cancer with metastasis to his liver and appendix. An expert in gastrointestinal oncology was sought to opine on the standard of care for treating patients who repeatedly present with these symptoms.

Questions to the Surgical Oncology expert and their responses

How often do you treat patients with colon cancer?

I see approximately 50-70 cases of colon cancer a year.

How does the treatment and prognosis change with the increasing stage at which colon cancer is caught?

I am a board-certified surgical oncologist with extensive experience evaluating and treating patients with cancer of the gastrointestinal system, the stomach, the colon, the pancreas, and the liver. My research focuses on predictors of outcomes in patients with gastrointestinal cancer.

About the expert

This expert has over 10 years of experience in the field of surgical oncology. He earned his MPH in clinical investigation from Ohio State University and his MD from Aristotle University of Thessaloniki School of Medicine. He then completed his internship in general surgery at Yale University, his residency in general surgery at Ohio State University, and his fellowship in surgical oncology at Johns Hopkins Hospital. Today, this expert is board-certified in surgery and complex general surgical oncology and is an active member of multiple medical associations, including the Society of Surgical Oncology and the Association of Academic Surgery. Additionally, he has published over 80 peer-reviewed articles and 3 book chapters on topics related to his field. Currently, he serves as an assistant professor of surgical oncology and as a surgical oncologist at a top medical school in New York.