Colon cancer is the number one cancer killer among non-smokers

A new report by the Centers for Disease Control reports that 22 million adults aged 50-75 still need to be tested for colorectal cancer. The findings were part of a study carried out by the CDC which focused on screening trends for both breast and colorectal cancer. The good news is that screening for colon cancer has increased by 11%. The bad news, however, is the number of people who still need to be screened.

According to the report, roughly one third of Americans are not getting screened for colon cancer according to CDC guidelines. The guidelines state that “at age 50 and until age 75 (sometimes younger or older, if your doctor recommends it), men and women should have one or more of three tests to check for colon cancer. In particular, adults aged 50–59 years should get screened because their testing rate is so low. The maximum benefit is expected when people in their 50s are informed and start getting tested.” The three suggested tests for colon cancer include the FOBT (stool test), a flexible sigmoidoscopy, or a colonoscopy. Colonoscopy, according to many gastroenterologists, is the gold standard for colorectal cancer screening.  Lack of awareness and education, as well as insufficient insurance coverage are cited as possible reasons for the lack of testing. Only 36% of uninsured Americans are up to date with colorectal cancer screening, despite the fact that colon cancer is the number one cancer killer for non-smokers.

To improve screening rates the CDC suggests that organizations can

• Inform people about who should be screened and about test options.
• Explain the benefits of screening for colon cancer.
• Identify groups in the community who are not getting screened.
• Make sure tests are done correctly.
• Work with minority and other hard-to-reach groups to encourage and facilitate screening.
• Identify problems (barriers) that keep people from getting screened.
• Create programs to solve these problems and increase screening such as using “patient navigators.” Patient navigators can guide people through the screening process, making it easier to get screened, learn test results promptly, receive appropriate follow-up care, and find support networks.
• Encourage medical practices, especially those with low screening rates, to remind patients to be screened, track who has been screened, and follow up with patients who have not been screened or who need additional tests or treatment.

If you are 50 years of age and have not been screened, if you have a family history of colorectal cancer, or if you are experiencing symptoms which cause concern, visit the Education page at GetYourRearinGear.com. The Colon Cancer Coalition oversees Get Your Rear in Gear 5K races and events across the country which help raise awareness about the importance of colon cancer screening. Get more information about the events or the organization by visiting GetYourRearinGear.com.

Read more:

• Symptoms that warrant a doctor visit
• Got a Question?  Ask the Doctor and get an answer!
• Ask the Doctor: Sigmoidoscopy or colonoscopy as a screening option?
• Hereditary cancer 101: What you need to know about inheriting cancer
• Phone reminders increase screening rates

Senator Al Franken (D-MN) meets with advocates Carol and Dave Larson

During a historic week on Capitol Hill, advocates from around the country gathered in Washington D.C. for the Colorectal Cancer Coalition‘s annual Call-on Congress, March 15-18, 2010.  Colon cancer patients, survivors, and loved ones of those affected by the disease, met with legislators to discuss measures which would increase access to colon cancer prevention, screening and treatment programs for all Americans, but particularly for those who are under or uninsured. C3 staffers, including President Carlea Bauman, and Director of Policy Catherine Knowles along with colon cancer experts from around the country, worked with advocates to lobby for three specific legislative actions:

1. The Colorectal Cancer Prevention, Early Detection and Treatment Act (H.R.1189) This House bill would establish a program at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to provide screenings and treatment for colorectal cancer. The program would target screening services toward individuals between 50-64 years of age or those under 50 years old but with high risk of colorectal cancer. The bill also gives priority to low income uninsured and underinsured individuals who would not otherwise have coverage for colorectal cancer screening, diagnostic follow up and/or treatment.*
2. The Colorectal Cancer and Screening Act (H.R.1330) This bill would require all insurance plans, both individual and group, to cover a colonoscopy for anyone age 50 or older.*
3. Funding for Colorectal Cancer Research at the Department of Defense. Advocates requested $50 million in funding for the Peer Reviewed Cancer Research Program (PRCRP) at the Department of Defense for fiscal year 2011. The PRCRP funds research for a number of cancers including colorectal cancer. The program supports high-quality cancer research, concentrating its resources on research mechanisms which complement rather than duplicate the research approaches of the major funders of medical research in the United States.*

Minnesota advocates (from left) Brenda Elshagher, Mandy Nelson, Malia Frey, Dave Larson, Carol Larson

Representatives from Minnesota included Carol and Dave Larson, Mandy Nelson, Brenda Elsagher, and Malia Frey, Promotion Director and Lead Writer for the Colon Cancer Coalition. Also at the Call-on Congress were Michel, LaRisha and Marsha Baker who are helping to coordinate the inaugural Portland Get Your Rear in Gear 5K Run/Walk race in Oregon, and San Francisco residents Barbara Cappel and Ayde Vogel who help organize the San Francisco Strides for Life /Get Your Rear in Gear 4 Miler in honor of Dylan Cappel.

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• More information on Colorectal Cancer Coalition Call on Congress
• More information on Colon Cancer Coalition Get Your Rear in Gear events

*Source: Colorectal Cancer Coalition

Get Your Rear In Gear 5K promotes colon cancer awareness

Rex Healthcare, a non-profit healthcare system based in North Carolina has partnered with The Colon Cancer Coalition to produce the Get Your Rear In Gear 5K Run/Walk on Saturday, March 6th at Fred Fletcher Park in Raleigh. The event will help to raise funds and awareness about colon cancer. Rex Healthcare is part of UNC Health Care and includes oncology as one of its specialty services. The Get Your Rear in Gear event is one of two colon cancer awareness efforts that the healthcare system is supporting. According to the Carolina Newswire, the organization is also helping to present the Living with Colorectal Cancer & Beyond conference on March 27, which will provide support and information for those whose lives have been touched by colorectal cancer.

Read the full story at Carolina Newswire

In the coming weeks legislators will return to work in Washington. Members of the House and Senate will need to work together to iron out differences in the two plans. Major issues separating the House version and the Senate version include:

• Public Option. The bill passed by the House of Representatives calls for a health insurance plan to be provided by the federal government for those who are not insured by private sources. This much debated feature was cut from the Senate version.
• Tax Increases. According to a report by CNN, the House plan pays for “health care reform with a 5.4 percent surtax on incomes for those making more than $500,000 a year, as well as families earning more than $1 million. It also includes a 2.5 percent tax on medical devices sold in the United States. The Senate plan increases the Medicare payroll tax on individuals earning more than $200,000 and couples earning more than $250,000 from the current 1.45 percent to 2.35 percent. The Senate bill also imposes a new tax on insurers that provide so-called Cadillac health plans valued at more than $8,500 for individuals and $23,000 for families.”
• Abortion Funding. The health care reform discussion raises concern from both sides of the abortion debate about federal funding of several procedures.

Agencies such as the American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network are working to advocate for cancer patients, survivors and those who have lost their financial security because they’ve had to pay for treatment. Stay informed or help their cause by visiting ACSCAN.org.

Read more about health care reform:

CNN: Differences Remain Over what health care bill looks like

New York Times Blog: Comparing the House and Senate Health Care Bills

The link between coffee and colon cancer has been studied for years. In 2004, WEbMd reported that coffee consumption decreased a person’s risk of colon cancer by 25%. Coffee was also attributed to a decreased risk of other diseases such as Parkinson’s and gallstones. In 2009, a report in the Journal of Nutrition linking coffee to a decreased risk of colon cancer was reviewed by Colorectal Cancer Coalition contributor Heinz-Josef Lenz, MD. In his review, he identifies a compound called called trigonelline or “trig” which may be a factor in preventing colon cancer. More recently however, the International Journal of Cancer published a review of a range of studies which indicated no significant link.

The combined result of the studies, comparing high versus low coffee consumption categories, revealed no significant association between coffee consumption and colorectal cancer risk.

( Source: Reuters)

With a range of conflicting data, the link between coffee and a decreased risk of colon cancer remains unclear. As Dr. Lenz comments in his review for C3, “We need much more data to better understand what this substance is able to do and what the mechanisms of actions are before we run to Starbucks and order a double latte.”

Computed tomography imaging, known as CT, is a diagnostic procedure that uses special x-ray equipment to obtain cross-sectional pictures of the body that provide detailed images of organs, bones, and other tissues. CT is associated with higher radiation exposure than conventional x-rays, yet radiation dosages that patients receive from the newer CT scanners have gone largely unregulated, explains Smith-Bindman in the release.

In a recent Ask the Doctor article at GetYourRearinGear.com, Dr. Jack Brandabur discussed the issue of the radiation risk as it relates to the use of CT colonography or virtual colonoscopy. “There is some concern,” he said, “about long-term radiation risk.  The dose of radiation during a CT colonography is 2-3 times the normal radiation of a standard abdominal CT scan, so there are concerns about moving forward with younger patients.” For this reason, and several others, Brandabur typically recommends colonoscopy over CT colonography for screening purposes. Despite those concerns,however, Brandabur is clear about the fact that CT imaging technology plays an important role in medicine.

“CT scanning has revolutionized medicine and provides tremendous benefit to many patients, but we need to be sure that if there are avoidable risks that we avoid them. “

For patients whose care providers have recommended a CT scan, Dr. Brandabur has the following suggestions to minimize risk:

1. Be sure that sure that the CT is absolutely necessary. A patient might ask “Are there other ways of answering the same question using alternative technology? Would an MRI or ultrasound suffice?” These are procedures which involve no radiation.
2. Be clear about the number of scans to be done so that extra scans are not performed.
3. Be sure that the care provider communicates to the radiologist what question they want answered with the use of the CT scan. The care provider should be able to articulate what information they want to get from the imaging study. In some cases there may be a safer and less costly way to get the information.

Watch CBS News Videos Online

According to the report:

Rates of newly diagnosed colorectal cancer have decreased for men and women in all racial/ethnic groups examined except American Indian/Alaskan Native women. Incidence rates declined most rapidly among men and women over 65 years of age and increased most rapidly in people under age 50 in most population groups.

Dr. Jennifer Ashton discussed the findings on a recent edition of the CBS Morning Show. She suggested that the rise in colon cancer rates for those under fifty may be due to the fact that these individuals are less likely to have screening colonoscopies, which could detect pre-cancerous polyps. She also emphasized that for this particular age group, diet and exercise are even more important for the purposes of cancer prevention.

A study released in 2006 suggested that screening recommendations for colon cancer should include those aged 40 and over. The research conducted at Columbia University Medical Center found that people get as many colon polyps in their 40′s as they do in their fifties. Polyps, which can be removed during a colonoscopy, can become malignant if left in the colon. Study author Alfred I. Neugut, MD, PhD discussed his results with Webmd.com. When asked if screening should begin at age 40, he replied, “”It does take 10 years for a polyp to turn into cancer. So if people had screening in their 40s, maybe you would not see cancers in people in their 50s.”

Despite the concerns about cancer in those under the age of 50, the National Cancer Institute report predicted optimistic trends for colon cancer the future. The authors predict that if Americans adopt healthier lifestyle habits , improve their use of screening procedures, and if treatment of the disease continues to improve, there could be an reduction in colon cancer mortality by 50 percent by 2020.

Watch CBS News Videos Online

Tony Snow in 2006 (Photo source: Wikipedia Commons)

The Alexandria Get Your Rear in Gear 5K brought unprecedented crowds to Fort Hunt Park, near Washington D.C. The Get Your Rear in Gear event included Tony’s Mile for a Miracle in remembrance of Tony Snow, former White House Press Secretary and broadcaster who passed away from colon cancer in 2008. Friends, family and community members came out in record numbers to support the cause. For the first time ever, race organizers had to close registration prior to the event due to exceptionally high interest. Media coverage of the event included video by Fox News where Snow had been a broadcaster for several years.

Fox News producer Griff Jenkins talked to his colleagues live from from Fort Hunt Park where he was participating in the day’s events. Jenkins, who sported a Get Your Rear in Gear t-shirt and yellow wristband honoring Tony Snow, discussed the Snow family’s support of the Colon Cancer Coalition and their efforts to raise awareness about the importance of colon cancer screening. Full race coverage and results will be online at GetYourRearinGear.com soon.

Click here to see Fox News video coverage of Get Your Rear in Gear and Tony’s Mile for a Miracle

“No one should ever have to choose between saving their life or their life savings. Watch Dan’s ad, and make a donation to ACS CAN to put it on the air. We know you’ll agree — everyone needs to hear Dan’s story.”

-Molly Daniels, American Cancer Society

To support the American Cancer Society as they fight for health care reform visit their website. To see more of Dan Brodrick’s story watch this short video.