Founder Wants to Talk about Colon Cancer
In addition to his work as a practicing gastroenterologist in the Altoona area, Ralph McKibbin, MD, FACP, is the founder and managing director of the Colon Cancer Prevention Foundation.
Dedicated to promoting awareness about the prevention and treatment of colon and rectal cancer, the organization connects medical professionals with various media and organizations to explain and encourage colorectal screening. He started the foundation in 2001, two years after Medicare began paying for screenings, yet only a one percent increase was observed.
“Colorectal cancer is one of the few cancers that can be prevented just by getting tested,” notes Dr. McKibbin. “But when only one in three people who should get screened are actually getting screened, there’s work to be done. People don’t want to talk about it, but we do.”
“There’s such a need to encourage patients to get screened. It’s common, it’s deadly and you usually don’t know you have it until it’s advanced. Screening tests can detect problems early on when treatment works best. I see so many patients dying of this cancer and they all regret not getting checked sooner. So we go out there and we talk about it until people finally decide to get screened.”
Last Updated: 12/8/2009