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Michelle King Robson & Dr. John Garvie Discuss Anal Cancer Diagnoses (VIDEO)

By Expert HERWriter
 
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Michelle King Robson and Dr. John Garvie discuss the growing number of anal cancer diagnoses due to the increased awareness after Farrah Fawcett's documentary and ultimate death.

Michelle King Robson:
Are you seeing more and more of this, is this, you know I have heard in a few cases now since Farrah came out with her story, actually somebody I know was just diagnosed with anal cancer and so it seems like either it’s more prevalent than we think or it’s because she has brought awareness to the people who are now starting to talk about it.

Dr. John Garvie:
Yeah, based on the statistics that I have seen about the published cancers, just I don’t think the incidence is increased but I think that there’s the increased level of awareness, as you pointed out. I think that wraps are off of this. People are discussing it more. People now are more likely to talk about this possibility.

I think the important message is that if there is any concern that one of your viewers would have that they are to go in and at least have an interview and an examination by somebody qualified to know what they are looking at.

Michelle King Robson:
Right.

Dr. John Garvie:
And if there’s anything that they are not sure about, a biopsy should be done. I would emphasize that that being the thing that we think is probably the most important thing is not to assume one knows what they are looking at. If you are not sure, biopsy and let the pathologist sort that out for you.

Michelle King Robson:
Got it and they should go to someone like yourself?

Dr. John Garvie:
They should clearly go to someone who understands the anatomy, and I think that that would generally be a gastrointestinal specialist or colorectal specialist. Many patients with rectal anal problems are seen by colorectal specialists who are surgeons. They have office-based practices as well as hospital based practices and are very comfortable with identifying these kinds of lesions. The examinations are not to be feared, there’s nothing to fear about the examination, just make sure they see somebody qualified.

Michelle King Robson:
It’s probably more embarrassing than anything else.

Dr. John Garvie:
Now I think that’s the whole message. I think it’s just a matter of getting over of the level of embarrassment. I would say that in my history of gastroenterology is that women however have gotten over the embarrassment issues for us a lot better. They are used to coming in and having the gynecologist do their examinations. I think for us to have a rectal examination or an anal rectal examination is less traumatic for the average woman than it is certainly for a male.

Michelle King Robson:
Okay, so women, women handle it better than men do.

Dr. John Garvie:
Yeah, we don’t. I have to agree with you on that.

Michelle King Robson:
Did you hear that women? We handle it better than men do.

Dr. John Garvie:
I think we are going to have to start, sadly agreeing with that.

Michelle King Robson:
Well, and I think that our women are going to have to actually push their husbands or their sons or significant others to go and have these checks as well because we know how susceptible men are, particularly African American men, to colon cancer.

Dr. John Garvie:
Yeah, that’s a great point. I think that, I think I know what the emphasis of your site is, but clearly I think that your women need to spread the message to the males to not be feared, fearful either of these examinations and to understand that there are some higher risk categories. You pointed out the African American high-risk category. We start screening African Americans five years younger than we start screening Caucasians for colorectal cancer risks.

Michelle King Robson:
Oh, that’s interested. That's interesting.

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