As with many cancers, timely screening and care can make a life-saving difference for patients with colorectal cancer – one of the fastest rising cancers among young patients, according to the American Cancer Society.
UTMB colorectal surgeon Pamela Daher Tobia, MD, understands the challenges that keep patients from being screened at the recommended ages and intervals. As she has expanded her practice to include the southern Brazoria County region of UTMB’s service area, there is one less barrier for local patients.
“We are trying to focus and restructure things so that patients can get all, if not, most of their care close to home and not need to travel,” Dr. Daher says. “That includes care for colon cancer and beyond, like pelvic floor disease.”
These specialized services are enhancements to the wide range of services currently offered, which include everything from routine screening colonoscopies to banding for hemorrhoids to sacral nerve stimulator implants for fecal incontinence.
Dr. Daher says awareness in the community is key, starting with the availability of screening. When area patients find out they can have their colonoscopy locally, they are much more willing to have the procedure – opening the door for more treatment options and better outcomes.
“If you think about a colonoscopy, for example, no one wants to do a colon prep and drive an hour to the Medical Center,” she says. “A lot of patients have told me, ‘I was holding off until I could do it around here.’”
She says the Angleton campus has one of the highest rates of screening for colorectal cancer in the UTMB Health System, with general surgeons Dr. Laurel Humphrey and Dr. Virginia Tran sharing the case load.
She says having care nearby is also key for the older female population struggling with fecal incontinence due to pelvic floor disorders. Noting that patients in the Angleton-Lake Jackson area have few resources for this type of care, UTMB’s colorectal surgery and urogynecology teams are working to build a pelvic floor program to offer comprehensive care for these needs.
She adds that patients in the Angleton area will also benefit from new technology UTMB is acquiring to aid in screening for anal cancer. A magnifying device is used to perform high-resolution anoscopy; UTMB’s will only be the second in the greater Houston area, Dr. Daher says.
Dr. Daher also performs laparoscopic procedures, such as sigmoid colon resections, colostomy reversals and colostomies, in Angleton. The most complex procedures may necessitate travel to League City, where a robotic system is available, but the team is making the most of their growing resources in Angleton.
“We are trying to offer patients the opportunity to stay in Angleton for some pretty complex operations as well,” Dr. Daher says. “Raising awareness and being locally present has made a huge change, and we're starting to see more and more patients coming through as we do that.”
 | Pamela Daher Tobia, MD sees patients at the UTMB Health Colorectal Surgery Clinics in League City, Angleton, and Lake Jackson. Learn more about colorectal health care at UTMB Health. |