RICHLAND, Wash.-
Dr. Luay D. Ailabouni specializes in colon and rectal surgery at Kadlec. He says colon cancer is the second leading cause of cancer death.
Doctors diagnosed Kevin McCulloch with stage three colorectal cancer in October of 2020. He had symptoms of fatigue, weight loss, and strange bowel behavior.
“You think at 42 years old, that you’re not going to experience something like that,” said McCulloch.
Dr. Ailabouni says they want to detect rectal cancer in the early stages. They recommend colon cancer screening begin at age 45, even earlier if you have a history of cancer in your family.
“It’s pretty common and it goes without any symptoms until sometimes it’s late in the process,” Dr. Ailabouni.
He says he thought he’d have to go to the west side of the state for treatment and was relieved to find that Kadlec had a program for his specific type of cancer.
After his diagnosis, he started radiation and chemotherapy treatments and had surgery.
“Kadlec gave me hope when I was in a hopeless situation. I felt this place gave me hope. This team changed my life,” said McCulloch.
Kadlec Regional Medical Center has earned a three-year accreditation from the National Accreditation Program for Rectal Cancer (NAPRC), a quality program of the American College of Surgeons.
They are the only program in Washington state that has it. Dr. Ailabouni says the accreditation process is not an easy one. It requires specific training and requires certain standards be met. He says it benefits patients with colon cancer to work with experts.
“It really means that the patient should be rest assured that anyone with rectal cancer who comes through this program, they need to know that all of us are highly trained. Highly specialized in this disease process,” said Dr. Ailabouni.
McCulloch says sometimes there’s a stigma when it comes to talking about rectal cancer and colonoscopies.
“Don’t be embarrassed, there’s nothing embarrassing about it. it’s your health. It’s your life,” said McCulloch.
Listen to your body and keep an eye out for symptoms.
“I’d say it’s in remission maybe, and everything is pretty normal now,” said McCulloch.
