Saeed Al-Khotani Saudi Gazette RIYADH — A giant inflatable colon was used to raise public awareness of colon health, colon diseases and surgeries in Riyadh on Wednesday. The eight-hour display and awareness campaign concluded the five-day Saudi-International Colorectal Annual Forum, organized by the Saudi Society of Colon and Rectal Surgery (SSCRS) at the Four Seasons Hotel. Dr. Nasser Bin Abdullah Al-Sanea, head of the forum's organizing committee and chief of colon and rectal surgery at King Faisal Specialist Hospital and Research Center, had invited the public, in particular students and teachers, to attend this awareness session in which the innovative way to raise health awareness was used for the first time in the Kingdom. “Visitors will go through the colon and observe the stages of polyps' transformation into a tumor,” he had said. Al-Sanea said colorectal surgeons along with colorectal therapists were present to answer questions posed by the audience and engaged in a dialogue on colorectal diseases. There was also an animated film in which a little girl questioned her father about his colon cancer, how it affected his life and the implications for her life. Al-Sanea said colon cancer in the Kingdom had increased fourfold since 1994, parallel to the steady increase in obesity. “The prevention rests in leading a healthy lifestyle, avoiding obesity and smoking and exercising,” Al-Sanea said. “Undergoing colon checkups after the age of 45 is very important to discover any polyps and to remove them before they turn cancerous,” he added.
