Of cancers affecting both men and women, colorectal cancer (cancer of the colon and rectum) is the second-leading cancer killer in the United States, according to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) and Prevention. But, according the CDC, it does not have to be, as screening can find precancerous polyps -- abnormal growths in the colon or rectum -- so they can be removed before turning into cancer. Screening also helps find colorectal cancer at an early stage when treatment often leads to a cure. According to the medical guidelines, persons 50 years or older should be screened. But persons who may be at a higher risk for colorectal cancer should be screened early.
Unfortunately, for Dr. Sharon Maralyn Bascom-Bruney, who followed the guidelines and received her first screening after she had attained her 50th birthday, the screening came a little too late. She was diagnosed with stage-four colon cancer at age 51. She battled the disease for seven-and-a-half years, before succumbing to it mere days after her 59th birthday in September 2013.
On Sunday, her family -- husband, Dr. George Bruney, and their children, Corey, 27; Kelly, 23, and Camron launched the SMB (Sharon Maralyn Bascom-Bruney) Care Foundation, a nonprofit agency in her honor at The Parish Church of the Most Holy Trinity in Stapledon Gardens.
The Bruney family's goal through the foundation is to spread the awareness for colon cancer, treatment and preventive measures. Their plan is to assist with funding treatment for people with colon cancer.
"Our primary objective is to assist in eliminating cancer in The Bahamas through providing financial assistance to those people who are plagued by cancer and helping to enhance their quality of life," said Corey, whose idea it was to start the foundation in honor of his mother. "We will also be engaging in health promotion, encouraging healthy lifestyles and providing information on primary prevention strategies to the Bahamian community.
"The disease itself is very preventable and very curable if caught early. It doesn't get as much coverage as the other cancers, like breast cancer or prostate cancer, so this is just to shed light, because it can be very deadly, but it's also very preventable," he said.
Having lived through his mother's suffering, Corey said he and the members of his family understand how difficult it is to live with the disease and that he and his family want people who are suffering to know that they are not alone in their fight.
"We know how taxing it is, not only on the physical health, but on the emotional, mental and spiritual health, as well, not to mention the financial burden, which is why we also understand how relieving it is to have extra support in all aspects of suffering. We want those who suffer to know that they are not alone in the fight," he said.
As the eldest of three siblings, Corey credits his father with helping him and his siblings to cope and remain strong through it all. He said his father was the reason he and his siblings were able to deal with their mother's cancer battle and eventual death the way they did.
Symptoms and risk factors of colon cancer
Symptoms and risk factors of colon cancer include: A change in bowel habits, including diarrhea or constipation or a change in the consistency of stool; rectal bleeding or blood in stool; persistent abdominal discomfort, such as cramps, gas or pain; a feeling that your bowel doesn't empty completely; weakness or fatigue; and unexplained weight loss.
But many people with colon cancer experience no symptoms in the early stages of the disease. When symptoms appear, they will likely vary, depending on the cancer's size and location in the large intestine.
And in most cases, it's not clear what causes colon cancer. Doctors only know that colon cancer occurs when healthy cells in the colon become altered.
"Long term, we hope to educate as many people as possible," said Corey. "We want to prevent people having to die from colon cancer."
Risk factors
Risk factors for colon cancer include age (the majority of people diagnosed with colon cancer are older than 50. Colon cancer can occur in younger people, but it occurs much less frequently); being of African descent (people who identify as black have a greater risk of colon cancer than people of other races); a personal history of colorectal cancer or polyps (people who have already had colon cancer or adenomatous polyps have a greater risk of colon cancer in the future); inflammatory intestinal conditions (chronic inflammatory diseases of the colon, such as ulcerative colitis and Crohn's disease, can increase risk of colon cancer); inherited syndromes (familial adenomatous polyposis and hereditary nonpolyposis colorectal cancer, which is also known as Lynch syndrome, increase colon cancer risk); family history of colon cancer and colon polyps ; low-fiber, high-fat diet (some studies have found an increased risk of colon cancer in people who eat diets high in red meat); a sedentary lifestyle; diabetes; obesity; smoking; heavy alcohol use and radiation therapy directed at the abdomen to treat previous cancers may increase the risk of colon cancer.
Tests and diagnosis
If signs and symptoms indicate colon cancer, doctors may recommend one or more tests and procedures, including using a scope to examine the inside of the colon. A colonoscopy uses a long, flexible and slender tube attached to a video camera and monitor to view the entire colon and rectum. If any suspicious areas are found, the doctor can pass surgical tools through the tube to take tissue samples (biopsies) for analysis. They can use multiple CT images to create a picture of the colon. CT colonography, also called "virtual colonoscopy", combines multiple CT scan images to create a detailed picture of the inside of the colon. If a person is unable to undergo colonoscopy, a doctor may recommend virtual colonoscopy.
Staging colon cancer
Once a person has been diagnosed with colon cancer, a doctor will order tests to determine the stage of the cancer, which helps determine what treatments are most appropriate.
The stages of colon cancer are stage one, during which the cancer has grown through the superficial lining of the colon or rectum but hasn't spread beyond the colon wall or rectum; stage two, during which the cancer has grown into or though the wall of the colon or rectum but hasn't spread to nearby lymph nodes; stage four, in which the cancer has invaded nearby lymph nodes but isn't affecting other parts of the body yet; and stage four, in which the cancer has spread to distant sites, such as other organs.
Treatment options
The type of treatment a doctor recommends will depend largely on the stage of the cancer, but the three primary treatment options are surgery, chemotherapy and radiation.
In early-stage colon cancer, if the cancer is small, localized in a polyp, the doctor may remove it completely during a colonoscopy. Larger polyps may be removed using endoscopic mucosal resection. And, if a pathologist determines that the cancer was completely removed, there may be no need for additional treatment.
If colon cancer has grown into or through the colon, the surgeon may recommend a partial colectomy to remove the part of the colon that contains the cancer, along with margin of normal tissue on either side of the cancer.
For advanced cancer, or if a person's overall health is poor, a surgeon may recommend an operation to relieve a blockage of the colon or other conditions to improve symptoms. The surgery isn't done to cure cancer, but to relieve signs and symptoms such as bleeding and pain. In specific cases where the cancer has spread to the liver and if a person's overall health is otherwise good, the doctor may recommend surgery to remove the cancerous lesion from the liver. Chemotherapy may be used before or after this type of surgery.
As his mother was diagnosed late, Corey said she underwent surgery and had to take chemotherapy.
"We went through periods when things were looking really good and then she went through periods when it wasn't looking so good. It really started to go downhill in 2012 when she had radiation treatment done and she started losing a lot of weight and wasn't able to hold food down. Then she lost a lot of her ability to do a lot of things on her own, particularly towards the middle of 2013, and she was in hospital more and eventually she passed, right after her 59th birthday," he said.
Despite missing his mother, Corey said his mother's battle with colon cancer impacted his life in a positive way. Over the seven-and-a-half years after the diagnosis, they got even closer than they had been before. He said she took more time to spend talking with him about life, in general, and giving him advice on issues he was dealing, whether they were related to school, work or relationships.
"She took a lot of time to help me develop, learn and grow, and to become who I am today," he said.
Corey believes he's the kind of young man that his mother wanted him to develop into.
"One of her biggest qualities... and it's kind of incorporated into the name of the foundation as well, is the fact that she was a really caring person. And actually a lot of people would tell me that I'm the same type of person in terms of being caring and thinking about others, so that's one of the biggest traits I think that she passed on to me or that I developed from her," he said.
Corey said the SMB Care Foundation is looking forward to March, which is Colon Cancer Awareness Month during which he said it will have its heaviest awareness push in terms of events.
One week prior to the foundation's launch, the Bruney family also went live with a website, www.smbcare.org, on which people can find information about the SMB Care Foundation and the disease.
Click here to read more at The Nassau Guardian
