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Millions of Americans have complaints about, or disorders of, the esophagus, stomach, intestines, liver, gallbladder, or pancreas, all of which comprise the gastrointestinal (GI) tract. This book provides accurate, reliable, and up-to-date information on the most common GI disorders. Written by a gastroenterologist with decades of clinical and research experience, A Gastroenterologist’s Guide to Gut Health provides the advice that Dr. Novick gives to patients in his practice every day, written in a clear, conversational, and easily understandable style. Advocating strongly for colon cancer screening and prevention, he walks readers through the process of colonoscopy, demystifying the procedure so patients know exactly what to expect. A review of alternatives to colonoscopy are also included. In addition to colonoscopy and colon cancer, Dr. Novick reviews irritable bowel syndrome, inflammatory bowel disease (Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis), celiac disease, acid reflux, hepatitis C, hemorrhoids, and many other GI diseases. He provides clear and specific details on best nutrition practices and explains how to get the most out of your visit to the doctor. Anyone with questions about digestive health, prevention, and screening will find here a ready and accessible resource for staying healthy and feeling good.

Cancer of the rectum continues to be a significant health problem in industrialized co- tries around the world. Relative 5-year survival rates in the USA for cancer of the rectum from 1995 to 2001 improved to 65%, a 15% improvement over 20 years (American Cancer Society, 2007). The reasons for this dramatic improvement include more accurate pr- perative staging, aggressive neoadjuvant therapy and improved surgical technique as well as specialty-trained surgeons. Despite advances in nonoperative techniques of radiation therapy, chemotherapy and immunotherapy, surgical extirpation continues to be the cornerstone of curative treatment of this potentially lethal disease. Radical cancer excision with total mesorectal excision has become the preferred surgical procedure for even early-stage cancers of the rectum. Over the past decade the enthusiasm for local excision (and other local treatments) has given way to persuasive (predominantly retrospective) evidence that the incidence of locoregional recurrence due to unsuspected lymphatic metastases and positive lateral margins is un- ceptably high even for stage T tumors. Vigorous attempts to find characteristics of the 1 tumor that would allow successful local treatments are ongoing.