278: Dr. Gary Bucher – Making Butt Health A Priority

We go to the gym, watch what we eat, many of us use condoms for
safer sex experiences, yet one area we don't concern ourselves
with  - so to speak is our butt health. Sure we know about
prostate cancer and the such, but when was the last time you ask
your Doctor about the health of your butt. Starting today, we make
butt health a priority - and it has nothing to do with having sex
with men. It actually has everything to do with a better
understanding of how and what butt (anal) cancer is and how it
starts, and what you can do to prevent it. Dr. Gary Bucher a leader
in clinical care for all things anal and perianal precancerm talks
candidly about what you should be doing to prevent cancer in your
bum. In this episode we discuss:

The high risk groups for anal cancer

Practices you should implement to ensure you butt stays
healthy

The three leading screenings every man and woman should have
to catch anal cancer early


Bottoms up boys and let's talk about our butts! About Dr. Gary
Bucher For over 35 years, Dr. Bucher has been a leader in clinical
care and research with HIV/ AIDS patients. He has felt the need to
be on the forefront of advances and care for PLWH. Dr. Bucher saw
the rates of anal cancer increasing in PLWH, MSM and other
high-risk groups. Dr. Bucher started referring patients for work up
for abnormal anal pap smears (anal cytology) to colorectal
surgeons. He soon found out that his patients were not getting the
appropriate evaluation with high resolution anoscopy (HRA). His
patients were examined with a rectal exam and a standard plain
anoscopy. Subsequently, they were told that everything was normal
when they could have had anal precancer that was not seen because
an HRA was not performed. His patients felt a false sense of
security that they were being evaluated properly and that all was
normal. Dr. Bucher quickly found that evaluation and treatment of
anal and perianal precancer were nonexistent in Chicago and decided
he needed to learn how to perform HRA’s and treat anal precancer.
In 2008, Dr. Bucher was so concerned about the trajectory of anal
disease in his community, that he started focusing exclusively on
providing HRA and HPV related anal disease treatments and opened
his Anal Dysplaisa Clinic MidWest (ADC MidWest) in Chicago. Dr.
Bucher’s experience continued to evolve with his clinical practice
and research to the point where he was able to participate as the
principal investigator in the largest anal cancer prevention study
(ANCHOR Study) ever conducted in the USA. Dr. Bucher’s private
clinical practice enrolled 580 participants from the Chicagoland
region out of the 4,446 total U.S. participants. The ANCHOR Study
is an anal cancer prevention clinical trial funded by the National
Institutes of Health (NIH) through the National Cancer Institute
(NCI) and it’s Office of HIV and AIDS Malignancy (OHAM) and AIDS
Malignancy Consortium (AMC). Dr. Bucher has remained passionate
about the the clinical advancements in the treatment of HPV related
diseases. In 2020, Dr. Bucher began to develop a mentorship
training program to prepare the next generation of providers in
anal precancer screening and treatment. The multi-tiered
preceptorship program officially launched in 2023 and is primed to
fill a much needed gap in the growing need for providers who are
proficient in HRA and HSIL treatments. Connect With Dr. Bucher
Website Instagram Hey Guys, Check This Out! Are you a guy who keeps
struggling to do that thing? You know the thing you keep telling
yourself and others you’re going to do, but never do? Then it’s
time to get real and figure out why. Join the 40 Plus: Gay Men Gay
Talk, monthly chats. They happen the third Monday of each month at
5:00 pm...