Colonoscopy made simple: Physician highlights important, easy-to-schedule screenings at UChicago Medicine Crown Point
In this video, Blase Polite, MD, physician-in-chief at UChicago Medicine Crown Point, shares about his own colonoscopy at the Crown Point multispecialty facility to highlight the availability and ease of scheduling the lifesaving screenings, as well as the team’s expertise there.
As a medical oncologist treating colon cancer for more than 20 years, Polite has made it his mission to improve colon cancer screening rates. Colorectal cancer, which begins as polyps that form in the inner lining of the colon or rectum, is the second leading cause of cancer death for men and women combined. People with average risk for colorectal cancer should get their first colonoscopy at age 45.
Polite knows patients can experience long delays to get an appointment, so improving access to colonoscopy screenings was one of his priorities when the health system opened the multispecialty facility in 2024. At UChicago Medicine Crown Point, the team prioritizes getting patients in quickly.
“There is really no excuse. Anybody at the age of 45: if you haven't had a colon screening, now's the time to do it,” he said. “I practice what I preach.”
Colorectal cancer screening and diagnosis
Physicians at UChicago Medicine take a proactive approach to cancer screening – especially in high-risk patients – with the goal of catching the disease at an earlier, more treatable stage.
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Blase Polite, MD
Medical oncologist Blase Polite, MD, is an expert in the treatment of gastrointestinal cancers, with a particular focus on colon, rectal, anal and neuroendocrine (carcinoid) tumors. Dr. Polite is actively conducting clinical research trials aimed at improving the treatment of gastrointestinal cancers.
View Dr. Polite's physician profile