Your Health - Maryland Public Television

The University of Maryland Medical System (UMMS) partners with Maryland Public Television (MPT) for a special series called "Your Health," which features UMMS specialists who share their medical expertise with viewers all across Maryland.

UMMS guests appear every other week in a special "Your Health" segment on MPT's program "Direct Connection," airing live Monday nights at 7 pm.

The show takes calls from viewers, so you have the opportunity to speak directly to our experts and get your questions answered.

Colorectal Cancer – What You Need To Know

According to the American Cancer Society, over the past 20 years, rates of colorectal cancer in people under age 50 have been rising and colorectal cancer is the third most common cancer in the United States, with over 104,610 new cases expected to be diagnosed this year. According to the CDC, there are about 50,000 deaths each year from colon cancer in the United States.

African American actor Chadwick Boseman was diagnosed with stage 3 colon cancer in 2016 and died last month at age 43. Spotting warning signs can help doctors diagnose the cancer early, which can make treatment easier and more likely to save a life, because often people with colon cancer have no initial symptoms. Boseman’s death also underscores the importance of screening.

Dr. Cherif Boutros, chair of Surgical Oncology at the University of Maryland Baltimore Washington Medical Center, Medical Director of the Tate Cancer Center at UMBWMC and an Associate Professor of Surgery at the University of Maryland School of Medicine, will be a guest on Maryland Public Television’s Direct Connection “Your Health” program on Monday, September 14 at 7 pm discussing what individuals need to know regarding colorectal cancer.