GRANITE FALLS, N.C. – A Granite Falls physician with ties to the Iron Mountain area is on the Federal Drug Administration (FDA) panel that has approved a new screening test for detecting colon cancer.

Dr. Edward Bujold is a family medicine physician that serves on the Molecular and Clinical Genetics Panel of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s Medical Devices Committee. Members of this committee recently voted unanimously that the new Cologuard test is safe and effective and that its benefits outweigh its risks.

“Cologuard gives patients and their doctor an option to the most commonly used test for detecting hidden blood in the stool, and it holds promise for being more accurate in helping diagnose colon cancer, Dr. Bujold said.

Dr. Bujold is formerly from Iron Mountain and a graduate of Iron Mountain High School. He is the son of Rosella Bujold-Isenberg of Iron Mountain and the late Robert Bujold.

He added that Cologuard is manufactured by Exact Science in Madison, Wis. and detects the presence of red blood cells and DNA mutations that may signal the presence of abnormal growths called polyps on the wall of the large intestine or rectum.

“Most colorectal cancers start as these abnormal raised or flat tissue growths. Some very large polyps are called advanced adenomas and are more likely than smaller polyps to progress to cancer,” he said.

Dr. Bujold noted that colorectal cancer is the third most common cancer and the second leading cause of cancer-related deaths in the U.S. among cancers affecting both men and women. It primarily affects people age 50 and old.

The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) estimates if everyone in this age group had regular screening tests, at least 60 percent of colorectal cancer deaths could be prevented.

Dr. Bujold opened a private practice in 1985 in Granite Falls, and he also serves as the chief medical officer for CINA, a Texas-based company. CINA develops products to assist health care providers in the delivery of quality focused, evidence-based patient care.

He is board certified in family practice and has additional training in anesthesiology. His practice includes a wide range of medicine including inpatient hospital care, pediatrics, adult medicine and geriatrics.

In May, Dr. Bujold participated in a panel discussion on the role of primary care in the nation’s health system through Family Medicine For America’s Health in Raleigh, N.C.

The discussion featured local success stories of primary care delivering on the triple aim of better health and quality at a lower cost.

As a panelist, Dr. Bujold was listed as a family medicine physician who adopted the PCMH model in his rural solo practice. This helped to reduce hospital admission rates for his patients by 80 percent.