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Endoscopy Center of St. Louis presents the Super Colon Tour at the Des Peres Healthy Habits Fair November 1

ST. LOUIS -- October 13, 2008 -- "Super Size Me" takes on a whole new meaning on Saturday, November 1.  That's when the healthcare professionals from Endoscopy Center of St. Louis present the Super Colon Tour as part of the Healthy Habits Fair.  

The free event takes place from 8:00 a.m. through noon at The Lodge at Des Peres, 1050 Des Peres Road in West St. Louis County.  

The Super Colon is an 8-foot-tall, 20-foot-long replica of a human colon that health fair attendees can walk through to learn about colon health. 

The interactive educational exhibit provides information about the risks and symptoms of colorectal cancer and teaches about prevention, early detection and treatment options. 

As visitors walk through the Super Colon, they get a close-up look at healthy tissue, tissue with non-malignant colorectal diseases, as well as tissue with various stages of disease.

"We want people to know that colorectal cancer is 90 percent preventable," says Dr. David Walden, a leading gastroenterologist from Endoscopy Center of St. Louis' West County offices. 

"Endoscopy Center is sponsoring the Super Colon Tour to teach St. Louisans that, when the disease is detected early through colorectal screenings, it is successfully treated up to 90 percent of the time," says Walden. 

More than one-third of colorectal cancer deaths could be avoided if all eligible individuals participated in regular screenings. 

Dr. Walden and other physicians from Endoscopy Center of St. Louis will be on site at the Healthy Habits Fair to answer health questions, distribute information about colon cancer prevention and address people's uncertainties regarding colorectal screening procedures. 

According to Dr. Walden, colon cancer is the second-leading cause of cancer deaths in the United States. 

Both men and women are at equal risk of developing colon cancer, but early detection and easier, less invasive treatments have led to amazing survival rates.

The Super Colon is an inflatable, interactive exhibition designed by the Prevent Cancer Foundation to raise colon cancer awareness and lessen the public's fears regarding colonoscopies. 

The Foundation's mission is cancer prevention and early detection through research, education and community outreach.