Robin Gibb's Tragedy: Colon Cancer Is Easily Preventable

[Barefootsies]

Sad to lose someone to a preventable/treatable disease.

Bee Gees singer Robin Gibb, 62, died on Sunday after a harrowing battle with colon cancer that spread to his liver. Despite aggressive chemotherapy and two emergency operations in the past two months, the disco star?remembered for hit songs from ?Stayin? Alive? and ?Saturday Night Fever??developed brain swelling due to liver failure, and pneumonia. He slipped into a coma, waking briefly on May 21 after his family spent days singing to him at his bedside.

What makes the six-time Grammy winner?s death especially tragic is that colon cancer is largely preventable with regular screening. In fact, it?s the only form of cancer that can be both detected AND treated with a single screening test.

Here?s a look at the medical story behind Gibb?s passing, along with important information about a colon cancer test that saves lives.

Robin Gibb: He 'Started a Joke' and Left Us in Tears

A Silent Killer

Also known as colorectal cancer, colon cancer typically doesn?t have any early warning signs. As happened with Gibb, many patients aren?t diagnosed until the disease spreads to other organs (in his case, the disease had spread to the liver, indicating stage 4 of the disease, which is often rapidly fatal even with aggressive treatment).

Colon cancer affects the large intestines (colon) and can extend to the last few inches called the rectum (anal cancer, the condition that killed Farrah Fawcett). The disease develops slowly, with more than 95 percent of cases starting as polyps, some of which (adenomas) can become cancerous if they aren?t found and removed. Typically it can take 10 years or longer for these polyps to morph into cancer.

Learn Surprising Causes of Erectile Dysfunction

Preventable but Neglected

This year, about 103,000 Americans will be diagnosed with colon cancer. Ranked as the second leading cause of cancer death, it?s expected to kill more than 50,000 American men and women this year. Yet most of these deaths are preventable with a simple test, according to the American Cancer Society.

The problem is that fewer than half of the Americans who need screening?those aged 50 or older?get the recommended tests, such as a colonoscopy. One study found that a key factor is that doctors neglect to recommend the lifesaving exam, while patients? embarrassment, anxiety, or lack of health insurance can also be issues.

Warning Signs of Breast Cancer

The Test That Finds and Treats Colon Cancer

While there are several ways to check for colon cancer, the gold standard for early detection is a colonoscopy. It?s the only cancer detection test that also prevents the disease by allowing doctors to find polyps and, during the same test, remove them before they turn into cancer.

To administer the test, a doctor uses a thin, flexible tube (called a colonoscope) with a small video camera attached to one end to examine the six-foot long colon. If suspicious growths are found, they can be removed during the test for biopsy. A similar test called sigmoidoscopy only checks one-third of the colon, so it can miss precancerous growths or cancer in the area not examined.

Many people put off having this lifesaving test because they dread the preparation, which typically involves eating a diet of clear food and taking laxatives for two days to clean out the colon. Yet this relatively minor inconvenience could save many lives; studies show that colonoscopy is 60 to 90 percent effective at preventing a killer disease. The test itself is painless, because colonoscopy patients receive sedatives during the procedure.

Who Is At Risk for Colon Cancer?

Ninety percent of colon cancer cases occur in people over age 50, which is why screening is recommended every 10 years, starting at age 50. People with a family history of the disease are usually advised to start screening at a younger age and have more frequent testing. Other risk factors include diabetes, smoking, obesity, poor diet, and a "couch potato" lifestyle.

There?s also emerging evidence that heavy drinking raises risk in men and may also increase it in women. Gibb, however, didn?t drink and had adopted a vegan diet, highlighting the importance of screening to prevent the disease?or catch it in the early, highly treatable stages, even if you have no other risk factors other than your age.

Foods that Boost Your Immune System

What Can You Do to Avoid Colon Cancer?

Simple changes in your daily habits are the best protection against this killer disease. A recent study by World Cancer Research Fund and American Institute for Cancer Research (one of the most comprehensive ever conducted) reported that if we ate more fiber, performed moderate exercise, and stayed lean, about 45 percent of colon cancer cases would be prevented. That's about 64,000 cases a year.

The researchers also advise a primarily plant-based diet, including fiber-rich vegetables, fruits, whole grains, and beans. Evidence from 24 recent studies strongly link eating both red and processed meat to higher risk for colon cancer, prompting the AICR to advise limiting these foods to 18 ounces or fewer per week. Processed meats (such as bacon, hot dogs, and sandwich meat) are particularly dangerous, doubling risk, compared to eating red meat alone, according to the AICR researchers.

FULL STORY

[SilentKnight]

The same was said about Steve Jobs. Many wonder how much longer he'd have lived if he hadn't turned to alternative remedies and got the proper treatments in a timely fashion.

[Barefootsies]

Originally Posted by SilentKnight

The same was said about Steve Jobs. Many wonder how much longer he'd have lived if he hadn't turned to alternative remedies and got the proper treatments in a timely fashion.

It really is pretty sad when you think about it.

I am just getting to the age where you are supposed to have the routine annual physical. You wonder why famous people who can easily afford it would not follow through. I suppose it's a choice ultimately if you do not believe in modern medicine and think roots and berries will save you.

[DWB]

wouldn't be the first time something has been in my ass so i'm not really worried about the test. have been thinking about getting one anyway. one of my dear friends is fighting stage four cancer right now.

[SilentKnight]

Originally Posted by Barefootsies

It really is pretty sad when you think about it.

I am just getting to the age where you are supposed to have the routine annual physical. You wonder why famous people who can easily afford it would not follow through. I suppose it's a choice ultimately if you do not believe in modern medicine and think roots and berries will save you.

Same here - at forty-seven the wife's starting to get on my case about it these days.

But you make a good point about famous people (with money) not taking care of business and getting themselves checked out. Perhaps we just hear a disproportionate amount about celebs these days in the media.

(shrug)

[bronco67]

I rarely have physicals anymore. I have to start going back to the doctor.

I had my own scare a few years ago with some blood, and had a colonoscopy. It was colitus or something like that. The procedure itself is no big deal, because you're knocked out, but the preparation is bitch. Drinking that phosphosoda and pissing from my ass is an experience I'll never forget.

[Barefootsies]

Originally Posted by SilentKnight

Same here - at forty-seven the wife's starting to get on my case about it these days.

But you make a good point about famous people (with money) not taking care of business and getting themselves checked out.

Indeed.

I have/force my doctor to do a blood test twice a year. He claims I do not need it, but I'll be damned if shit if sneaking up on me. I've been forcing them to do this since I was 35.

While I am sure shit could still sneak up on you, and I am not a fan of any sort of annual physical, I would rather spend the hour of my time on a treadmill with a finger up my ass to at least get a "chance" to catch preventable disease early if possible.

[Choker]

As you start to doze off before the exam look over to your right at the thing they are about to put up your ass. It's not a "small" camera. It's fucking huge, about a inch in diameter. That's why they put you to sleep for this procedure.

[Barefootsies]

Originally Posted by Choker

As you start to doze off before the exam look over to your right at the thing they are about to put up your ass. It's not a "small" camera. It's fucking huge, about a inch in diameter. That's why they put you to sleep for this procedure.

While it doesn't sounds particularly pleasant, I think I can endure an afternoon rump roast procedure with the doc for the 'chance' or opportunity to possibly live another 10-20 years. Especially if I had a wife/children.

[SilentKnight]

Originally Posted by Choker

As you start to doze off before the exam look over to your right at the thing they are about to put up your ass. It's not a "small" camera. It's fucking huge, about a inch in diameter. That's why they put you to sleep for this procedure.

Just remember...if the doc's standing behind you during the exam - you're in big trouble if both his hands are on your shoulders.

[candyflip]

I have been dealing with a lot of colorectal issues lately and this is something that weighs heavily on my mind. Thankfully my doctor has a good eye on things.

I just had scope and surgery. It's taken almost a month for my ass to heal up.

Also...at what point in a doctor's education does he say, "I want to specialize in colons and assholes?"

[Mutt]

My dad died of it, it's a very brutal way to go, the last stage is gruesome but in the end all cancers are. Robin Gibb should have been given the chance to end it on his own terms if he chose to, when there is 0% of survival and all that's left for the patient and family is agony to not allow anybody to help end the suffering is obscene. All because of this retarded illogical belief in a fairy tale God.

I know one thing, I won't go through the ending Robin Gibb, Farrah Fawcett, my father and millions of others have been forced to endure.

As for colonscopies, the test is only as good as the doctor who does it. My father's story - a family doctor on routine blood tests saw low white cell count, suspected cancer, ordered a colonscopy. My dad had one, gastroenterologist returned the news, no sign of cancer, no polyps, nothing. Huge relief. The anemia continued however, he was on iron pills for it, and kept going back to the family doc for blood tests, a year goes by and his white cell count is still low so the doc decides to get another colonscopy done by the same gastroenterologist, this time there's a very large tumor. Colon cancer develops slowly - the tumor didn't just appear during the year between colonoscopies, they catch small polyps but this guy misses a big tumor.

A year is a very long time to have cancer untreated/undiagnosed, did metasteses(spreading to other location/organ) happen during that year? I'll never know.
Because doctors cover for each other, after my father passed I was angry, I was thinking of suing for malpractice. I talked to my father's family doc who is a family friend, I asked him how in the world a large tumor could be missed on a colonoscopy, the whole fucking point of the test is to jam a camera up your ass and look through the entire colon. His answer 'Well it was in a 'quiet spot'' He didn't want to say more, I asked if the tumor had been detected a year earlier would the treatment/outcome for my dad been different. More ass covering 'That's hard/impossible to say, maybe not'

Years later I think I did the wrong thing, not because I wanted to receive money - no interest in suing for that. What if this doctor who did the colonoscopy is just a shitty doctor, slipshod or lazy, maybe he's a drunk or has other issues that affect his abilities. Maybe he misses cancer on colonoscopies regularly, even if it's twice a year over a 30 year career that *could* be 60 people and their families whose lives get affected. If nobody speaks up, don't expect the medical community to call one each other out - only in cases of gross incompetence does that happen. Sadly, only lawsuits with threats of big dollar judgements open eyes sometimes.

[Harmon]

Originally Posted by Mutt

My dad died of it, it's a very brutal way to go, the last stage is gruesome but in the end all cancers are. Robin Gibb should have been given the chance to end it on his own terms if he chose to, when there is 0% of survival and all that's left for the patient and family is agony to not allow anybody to help end the suffering is obscene. All because of this retarded illogical belief in a fairy tale God.

I know one thing, I won't go through the ending Robin Gibb, Farrah Fawcett, my father and millions of others have been forced to endure.

As for colonscopies, the test is only as good as the doctor who does it. My father's story - a family doctor on routine blood tests saw low white cell count, suspected cancer, ordered a colonscopy. My dad had one, gastroenterologist returned the news, no sign of cancer, no polyps, nothing. Huge relief. The anemia continued however, he was on iron pills for it, and kept going back to the family doc for blood tests, a year goes by and his white cell count is still low so the doc decides to get another colonscopy done by the same gastroenterologist, this time there's a very large tumor. Colon cancer develops slowly - the tumor didn't just appear during the year between colonoscopies, they catch small polyps but this guy misses a big tumor.

A year is a very long time to have cancer untreated/undiagnosed, did metasteses(spreading to other location/organ) happen during that year? I'll never know.
Because doctors cover for each other, after my father passed I was angry, I was thinking of suing for malpractice. I talked to my father's family doc who is a family friend, I asked him how in the world a large tumor could be missed on a colonoscopy, the whole fucking point of the test is to jam a camera up your ass and look through the entire colon. His answer 'Well it was in a 'quiet spot'' He didn't want to say more, I asked if the tumor had been detected a year earlier would the treatment/outcome for my dad been different. More ass covering 'That's hard/impossible to say, maybe not'

Years later I think I did the wrong thing, not because I wanted to receive money - no interest in suing for that. What if this doctor who did the colonoscopy is just a shitty doctor, slipshod or lazy, maybe he's a drunk or has other issues that affect his abilities. Maybe he misses cancer on colonoscopies regularly, even if it's twice a year over a 30 year career that *could* be 60 people and their families whose lives get affected. If nobody speaks up, don't expect the medical community to call one each other out - only in cases of gross incompetence does that happen. Sadly, only lawsuits with threats of big dollar judgements open eyes sometimes.

You can't sue somebody for your parents. It would have to be your mother or somebody else financially ruined by your dad's death, but a kid isn't one of them. No lawyer in the world would touch that case.

That being said, I am very sorry for your loss. It sounds like it was a rough time.