Tests That Could Save a Life

During Nate's colonoscopy, Dr. LaPook uses a tool called a colonoscope to search for any polyps and remove them immediately. While not all polyps are cancerous, if a doctor finds a polyp during a colonoscopy, he or she will always remove it. "I'd rather he not have a polyp," Dr. LaPook says. "But if he has a polyp, how great that he came in here and we're able to catch it now."

Dr. Oz says that this immediate removal of polypswhether they're precancerous or completely benignshould make colon cancer incredibly survivable. "We can save the most lives because you truly cure people just by finding it."

As he's searching in Nate's colon for polyps, Dr. LaPook says there doesn't seem to be anything wrong. "This is textbook," he says. "This is just a normal looking colon, beautiful looking folds, normal blood vessels."

Then he finds a series of six tiny polyps. "I plucked them out," Dr. LaPook says. "We never roll the dice in medicine." He then sent off the six polyps to a pathologist to analyze, to see if any of them were dangerous.

How did Nate feel when he woke up after the procedure? "I didn't feel anything," he says. "It was simple."