Maryland’s Health Matters - St. Joseph - Fall 2016 - 7

Beating the Odds 'Heated' chemotherapy, advanced surgery and University of Maryland's Cancer Network wipe out a mother's stage 4 colorectal cancer Nancy Bailowitz, MD Little did Crystal Hamilton, a law enforce- HOLIDAY DAMPER ment officer from Owings Mills, know that "The gastroenterologist who did the colonoscopy told me a perfect storm lay ahead of her when she that it was an aggressive cancer on the right side of my colon went to her internist for her annual physi- and that I needed surgery," Hamilton recalls. "It was the day cal last year. Her doctor, Nancy Bailowitz, before Thanksgiving, and we were expecting 30 people MD, an internist with the St. Joseph Medical for dinner." Not wanting to spoil the holiday spirit, Hamilton Group, discovered she was anemic and confided in her husband, but she adds, "I didn't tell my referred her for a colonoscopy, even though oldest son until after Thanksgiving, since he was in the midst she had one five years earlier at age 50. of planning his wedding in January." Hamilton had no family history of colorectal cancer and wasn't due for her next colonos- A couple of weeks later, Crystal underwent minimally invasive surgery performed by highly experienced board-certified copy until age 60. But this astute internist was on alert because colorectal surgeon Howard Berg, MD, head of colorectal one of the signs of colorectal cancer can be anemia. surgery at UM SJMC. "You can imagine Crystal's shock when she woke up from later found out that it was stage 4," says board-certified sur- QUICK LAB RESULTS REVEAL MORE CANCER geon Nader Hanna, MD, FACS, medical director of the Cancer Dr. Berg describes the surgery: "I performed a laparoscopic Institute at University of Maryland St. Joseph Medical Center right hemicolectomy to remove the right side of her colon, (UM SJMC) and professor of surgery at University of Maryland but I noticed that her omentum [a fold of the peritoneum, School of Medicine, who became one of Hamilton's surgeons. or membrane, that hangs below the stomach connecting the colonoscopy with a diagnosis of colorectal cancer, and stjosephtowson.com | Fall 2016 7 http://www.stjosephtowson.com

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