Colon Exhibit Coming to Saint Francis Medical Center

March is National Colorectal Cancer Awareness Month, and Saint Francis Medical Center and the American Cancer Society are teaming up to host an interactive, educational exhibit on this highly preventable disease March 19, 6 am-6 pm in the Health and Wellness Center lobby.

"Colon cancer is the third leading cause of cancer death in both men and women -- but it does not have to be. If caught early, 90 percent of colon cancers are preventable and 90 percent of cases are treatable," says Wilson P. Pais, MD, MBA, FACP, FRCP, gastroenterologist at Saint Francis. "Screenings are the key to finding these cancers early, when they are most treatable. Unfortunately, only about 50 percent those who need these tests get them."

The event aims to raise awareness of the preventability of colorectal cancers and features an educational colon exhibit. The exhibit is a 20-foot-long, 8-foot-high colon replica. It allows visitors a firsthand look at colon tissue from healthy through the stages of cancer and disease.

Pais will join other Saint Francis gastroenterologists Michael R. Freeman, MD, and Rafid J. Hussein, DO, and Saint Francis nurses to answer questions about the risks, symptoms, prevention, early detection and treatment options for colon cancer. The physicians will also give special presentations at 10 am and 1 pm, and visitors will be given a resource guide based on the information presented at the event.

For more information about the event, call Saint Francis at 573-331-5877.