CLEVELAND, Ohio – A year after emergency surgery for Stage 3 colorectal cancer, Venoy Rogers III is transforming his experience into a powerful message about the importance of early cancer screening, especially within the African American community.
Rogers, a 46-year-old executive chef at Certified Angus Beef’s Culinary Center in Wooster, initially dismissed warning signs of his illness as an upset stomach.
By June 2024, his condition became critical, leading to emergency surgery at the University Hospitals Seidman Cancer Center in Cleveland.
“I thought that it was nothing,” Rogers recalled of his initial response to symptoms. “Leading up to my diagnosis, I was experiencing stomach cramps … like little needle feelings.”
Symptoms of colorectal cancer include blood in the stool, weight loss, bloating, nausea and vomiting.
Rogers’ colon mass was so extensive that it blocked his bowels, said Dr. Ron Charles, a colorectal surgeon at University Hospitals Seidman Cancer Center.
Following Rogers’ diagnosis of Stage 3 adenocarcinoma, he underwent a hemicolectomy, a procedure in which a portion of his colon was removed. He completed 12 rounds of chemotherapy before undergoing a second surgery.
The experience prompted significant lifestyle changes, including cutting out sugar and alcohol and increasing his fiber intake. Patients with excess body weight or weight gain during adolescence or early adulthood tend to have increased incidence of colon and rectal cancers, Charles said.
Rogers’ diagnosis revealed a disturbing reality about colorectal cancer’s impact on African Americans.
“I didn’t know this disease was more prevalent for people that look like me,” Rogers said.
African Americans also face higher mortality rates, even when patients are at the same stage of disease.
“Not only do you see it more commonly, but you unfortunately see higher mortality in the African American community,” Charles said. “It appears that African Americans actually have worse outcomes than their white counterparts.”
The surgeon attributed the disparities to multiple factors, including access to health care and higher rates of comorbidities like diabetes and high blood sugar.
From 2016 to 2020, colorectal cancer accounted for 8.4% of cancer deaths in Cuyahoga County, the second-highest after lung and bronchus cancer, according to data from the Ohio Department of Health.
Rogers now advocates for early screening, particularly among Black men. In Ohio from 2014 to 2018, the colorectal cancer mortality rate for men was 39% higher than the rate for women. Mortality rates were higher among men, Black people and those 65 years and older.
The medical community recently lowered the recommended screening age from 50 to 45, responding to trends showing younger patients developing colorectal cancer.
Charles stressed that colonoscopy screening can prevent cancer by removing precancerous polyps.
“We know that the majority of colon cancers start off as polyps, and if left alone, polyps will grow into a cancer,” Charles said. “If you get screened, you primarily are being evaluated for the presence of these polyps, and you take these polyps out, and that then reduces your risk of getting the disease.”
The surgeon also noted another issue in the Black community: fear of getting a colonoscopy. He stressed that the procedure is not bothersome or difficult.
Throughout his recovery, Rogers found strength in support from his family and colleagues. Rogers recently participated in the Five Star Sensation fundraiser for University Hospitals Seidman Cancer Center, where he had received treatment. The event raised $1.5 million.
“It’s not the fight, it’s the army,” Rogers said.
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