Colon Cancer Prevention: How to Lower Your Risk and Maximize the Quality of Your Screening

​Viral Patel, MD, FACG, is a board-certified gastroenterologist and partner at Charlotte Gastroenterology & Hepatology. Raised in a military family, he brings a global perspective to his practice. Dr. Patel earned a Biomedical Engineering degree from Vanderbilt, completed his residency at Cleveland Clinic, and consulted for McKinsey, developing expertise in quality improvement and high-value care. A Fellow of the American College of Gastroenterology, he focuses on colorectal cancer prevention, high-quality colonoscopy, patient education, and serves as an expert witness.

​This presentation provides a practical overview of colorectal cancer prevention, emphasizing how high-quality colonoscopy detects and removes precancerous polyps to reduce cancer risk. It will cover risk factors, disease stages, outcomes, and how screening prevents progression. Key topics include colonoscopy quality, technique, follow-up intervals, patient understanding of the process, emerging technologies like AI-assisted detection, and non-invasive stool-based tests such as FIT and Cologuard, including their accuracy and how they compare with colonoscopy as both a diagnostic and preventive tool.