MCG Primary Care Physicians Can Fill Gap In Colorectal Screening

(Augusta) - As the population ages, there is an increasing need for more doctors to be trained to perform colonoscopies.

Dr. Thad Wilkins, a MCG Family Medicine physician performs the procedure.

“Colon cancer is a preventable cancer if polyps are found, and detected early, through screening test like colonoscopies. Those polyps can be removed and you can prevent colon cancer.”

Usually, gastroenterologists and surgeons perform the procedure, but Wilkins says primary care physicians with the right training can fill the void that currently exists.

Dr. Wilkins: “Our study found that colonoscopies performed by primary care physicians, which we define as family physicians, internists and ob-gyn physicians, were just as safe and effective as performed by other specialists.”

The American Cancer Society recommends beginning regular screening for colorectal cancer at age 50. It is the third most common, and second most fatal, cancer in the United States. Early screening can save lives.

Dr. Wilkins: “Unfortunately, there is a shortage of physicians trained to perform colonoscopy, and if we don’t do something about that shortage, the number of colon cancer cases may continue to rise.”

With slightly more than 12,000 board-certified gastroenterologists, who perform procedures like colonoscopies, the capacity for a national screening program is limited. Resources to screen every eligible person for colorectal cancer do not currently exist in the U.S. medical system and, as a result, less than one-third of those who are eligible for colonoscopies are screened.