Medicine has been more than a career for South Shore Hospital gastroenterologist Prakash Rau, MD; it has been a calling. Rau's four sons have seen firsthand how fulfilling their father's field of work has been and they have all followed in his footsteps.

While there has been a decline in colorectal cancer death rates in older adults for several decades, in people under age 50, colorectal cancer death rates have been on the rise since the mid-2000s, increasing by 2.4% annually. Mandeep Saund, MD, discusses risk factors, symptoms, treatments and the importance of screening in the prevention and early detection of colorectal cancer.

November is Men's Health Awareness Month, a time to highlight health issues affecting men – including prostate cancer. According to the American Cancer Society, about 299,010 new cases of prostate cancer will be diagnosed this year and 32,250 men will die from the disease. Find out about risk factors, treatments and the screening tests that help catch prostate cancer early when it’s easier to treat.

January is Cervical Cancer Awareness Month, a good time to shine a light on the disease and the importance of regular screening in its prevention. While once the most common cause of cancer death for women, cervical cancer death rates have decreased significantly with greater use of the Pap test, which can find changes in the cervix before cancer develops or detect it early when it is easier to treat.