I hear men can get breast cancer too. What gives men the highest risk of getting breast cancer?

Men can indeed get breast cancer but their risk of developing breast cancer is several hundred times lower than women. However, the men with the highest risk of developing breast cancer are those with Kleinfelter’s syndrome – a common genetic disease affecting about 1 in 1,000 to 1 in 1,500 males. Males usually have two… Continue reading I hear men can get breast cancer too. What gives men the highest risk of getting breast cancer?

I had a few polyps removed on my last coloscopy. When should I be getting my next one?

After a polypectomy, the next step in surveillance depends on the amount of polyps removed and what type of polyps they were: If the polyp was benign, then follow-up is with a standard colonoscopy in 5-10 years. If a single subcentimeter tubular adenoma was discovered and removed. A repeat colonoscopy is warranted at 5 years… Continue reading I had a few polyps removed on my last coloscopy. When should I be getting my next one?

When would you use a sigmoidoscopy over a colonoscopy?

The advantage a sigmoidoscopy has over a colonoscopy is that the bowel does not need to be prepared. In other words, whereas a colonoscopy requires the patient to clean their colon with bowel prep, a sigmoidoscopy can be performed on an unprepped patient. Therefore, if an emergency or unstable patient requires direct visualization of the… Continue reading When would you use a sigmoidoscopy over a colonoscopy?

If I am no longer sexually active, do I still need pap smears?

Yes, seeing you have are less than the age of 30, you should still continue receiving Pap smears even if you are not sexually active.  According to the American Congress of Obstetrics and Gynecology (ACOG), the most recent guidelines for Pap Smears (released November 2009) recommends: Women should have their first Pap smear at the… Continue reading If I am no longer sexually active, do I still need pap smears?

My mother was diagnosed with melanoma on her hand and it had spread to the eye. She is on chemotherapy but was also told to get surgery for her “intraocular” melanoma. Wouldn’t chemotherapy work for the eye too?

Intraocular melanoma is a rare tumor often remaining asymptomatic for years and presenting as progressive and painless visual loss.  Ultrasound of the eye is the most sensitive test for diagnosing the lesion and MRI is often performed to determine the extent of tumor invasion.  Chemotherapy for her melanoma will not treat the intraocular melanoma as… Continue reading My mother was diagnosed with melanoma on her hand and it had spread to the eye. She is on chemotherapy but was also told to get surgery for her “intraocular” melanoma. Wouldn’t chemotherapy work for the eye too?