Man credits screening for saving his life

Abel Viscaino, 62, of Oklahoma City went to the emergency room at INTEGRIS Health Southwest Medical Center in April 2022 at the urging of his wife Barbara.

He now credits her for helping to save his life.

“She noticed that I had been pale for several months and struggled to walk without becoming tired or winded,” he remembers. “I didn’t feel well, but I’m stubborn.”

In the emergency room, Abel was given IV fluids for dehydration. He had suffered significant blood loss through his stool and also needed two and a half pints of blood. “They ran a lot of tests and then everything happened quickly,” he recalls. “The doctor told me that I had a colon tumor and Stage III colon cancer.”

Abel and Barbara were both shocked, scared and devastated by the news. “That moment changed my life,” says Abel. “It felt like I had just been handed a death sentence.” He was admitted to the hospital, and a few days later, Samer Hassan, M.D., a board-certified oncologist at INTEGRIS Health Cancer Institute at Southwest Medical Center performed surgery to remove a section of his colon with cancer.

For the following six months, Abel underwent chemotherapy to kill the cancer that had spread to his lymph nodes and to shrink the tumor. Once it was small enough, Stephen T. Mahoney, M.D., a colorectal surgeon with INTEGRIS Health Medical Group operated to remove it. Then, he had to undergo three months of radiation.

“There were times it was really hard, and he wanted to give up,” says Barbara. “I encouraged him to keep going, to keep fighting.”

Abel is now cancer free. “I have energy. I quit smoking. God has given me another chance.” He will return to the INTEGRIS Health Cancer Institute at Southwest Medical Center later this month for his final surgery to attach his bowels together.

“My entire care team at INTEGRIS Health has been excellent every step of the way,” says Viscaino. “They worked hard and made me work hard to get better.”

Prior to his visit to the ER, Abel

Abel Viscaino

never had a colonoscopy screening.

When colon cancer, also known as colorectal cancer, is found at an early stage before it has spread, the 5-year survival rate is about 90-percent. When cancer has spread outside of the colon or rectum, survival rates are lower.

“Screening colonoscopy will catch precancerous polyps or detect colon cancer at an earlier stage so that chemotherapy and radiation are not needed,” said Samer Hassan, M.D. “Early detection also impacts long term survival and decreases the financial burden of additional treatment for advanced stages.”

Abel hopes by sharing his story he can encourage others to get a colonoscopy.

The most common symptoms of colorectal cancer are:

· A change in bowel habits such as diarrhea, constipation or narrowing of the stool that lasts for more than a few days

·Rectal bleeding or blood in the stool

· Cramping or gnawing stomach pain

· Decreased appetite

· Vomiting

· Weakness and fatigue

·Jaundice (yellowing of the skin and eyes)

Colon cancer can take many years to develop, so early detection is key. The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force recently issued new guidelines that recommend colon cancer screening start at age 45 instead of age 50. To schedule a colonoscopy today, visit integrisok.com/colonoscopy.

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