Editorial Roundup and Dr. Paul Strombom on Colorectal Cancer Awareness

This week on Hudson Valley Uncensored, Brett Freeman has an interview with colon and rectal surgeon Dr. Paul Strombom from Phelps Hospital to talk about Colorectal Cancer Awareness Month. Then, later on in the episode, he also  is joined by regulars Tom Walogorsky, editor of North Salem News and The Somers Record, Bob Dumas, editor of Mahopac News, and Brian Marschhauser, editor of Yorktown News and The Katonah Lewisboro Times.

First up,  Freeman is joined by Dr. Paul Strombom to discuss colorectal cancer and the importance of getting regular screenings. They start out by discussing the increase in colon cancer rates in the under-50s and the simultaneous decrease in the over-65s. Dr. Strombom says that there’s no obvious reason for the increase in younger patients, though diet and environment may be factors, but the decrease in older patients is down to better screening and the ability to remove pre-cancerous polyps during colonoscopies. He then reassures listeners that the colonoscopy process isn’t so bad (though the bowel prep process is a different matter) and that it’s the best way to prevent colon cancer, along with a healthy diet and quitting smoking. Freeman brings up the question of symptoms, and Dr. Strombom points out that many patients have no symptoms, which is why regular screening is so important in order to catch any problems early. He also addresses the higher rate of colon cancer in African Americans and explains that access to regular screening is a factor in this problem. The discussion then moves to what happens after a colonoscopy, Dr. Strombom explaining that polyps are sent to the pathologist to be tested and that the type and number of them will determine the regularity of your repeat colonoscopies, which can be anything from ten years to three months. And finally, they return to screenings, with Dr. Strombom explaining that while colonoscopy is the best type, there are other, less invasive procedures available, and the most important thing is to attend your annual screening of whatever type.

Following the interview ,Walogorsky has the big news out of Somers Town that Bill Faulkner is throwing his hat into the ring and running for Congress in the 16th District this fall. He’ll be taking on Jamal Bowman, who’s also going to be primarying Vedat Gashi, and Dumas joins in to say that he just interviewed a very confident Gashi, who took some shots at Bowman’s alignment with the Democratic Party’s views. In response, Freeman brings up the issue of President Biden’s stance on energy independence and says he’d be curious to see whether self-proclaimed “Biden Democrat” Gashi agrees with the President or not. Moving on, Marschhauser reports on some progress in Yorktown’s project to bring sewers to 315 homes, which had been held up by the county’s refusal to release funds for the project unless Yorktown signed up for the affordable housing code it repealed in 2016. After a six-month logjam, the county now seems to have backed off from its demand following the federal government’s recent approval of $1.2 million for the sewer project. Dumas then reports on a controversial change to Mahopac’s town board meetings, Supervisor Carrazi having decided to scrap the new business public comment sessions, causing upset among town members. Finally, Marschhauser and Walogorsky close this section of the episode with a...