IN HER OWN WORDS… Dr. Lynn M. O’Connor talks about her new practice.

“I love the aspect of doing colonoscopies because it gives you an opportunity to diagnose a person with a polyp and remove it before it actually becomes cancer. I also wanted to merge it with the surgical aspect so that opens up a world of Colon and Rectal surgery and also offers you an avenue for education, preventive medicine, and healthcare management; talking to the patient about diet, exercise, screening opportunities for colon cancer, which really is important because if found early, it can affect a cure. I see… anything that has to do with the colon, the rectum, and the anus.

I’ve been thinking about starting my own practice for quite some time. I really wanted to have an environment where my patients would feel comfortable, they would feel welcome, and I would be able to care for them in a manner holistically in terms of education, in terms of preventive care, diagnostic are and, if needed, surgical care. And, I really wanted them to be able to have complete access to me and complete access to the care that I can provide for them; it’s important to me.

We are seeing somewhat of an alarming rise in colon and rectal cancer in younger and younger patients. We’ve got patients in their twenties, their thirties, their forties; those young adults are coming in with increasing rates of colon and rectal cancer. Normally, you would see that in patients who were 65 and older and the screening colonoscopy recommended was age 50 and above, but recently the American Cancer Society has decreased that age recommendation to 45 because we are seeing more and more young patients. The survival rate of colon cancer has actually been on the rise and that’s because patients have been getting their screening colonoscopies. Now although we are seeing an increase in the rates of 20, 30, and 40 year-olds, their survival if caught early is 95%. Stage one colon cancer, if you’ve been diagnosed with a colonoscopy and you’ve had appropriate surgery, can be up to 95%.”

Dr. Lynn M. O’Connor dedicates her practice to providing the foremost treatment, technology, and information related to preventive public health issues and colon and rectal health. An outstanding surgeon and health advocate, Dr. O’Connor is also the Director of the Women’s Colorectal Care Program for ProHEALTH Care Associates in the Greater New York City area. Click HERE to contact Dr. O’Connor’s office, or to schedule an appointment.

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