This Wednesday, March 2, the American Cancer Society and the Colon Cancer Prevention Task Force will kick-off Colon Cancer Awareness Month with a press conference at 10:00am, with a campaign to increase screening rates and reduce mortality from colon cancer. The event will be held at the American Cancer Society office at 3513 10th Street.
Dr. Davor Vugrin will provide an update on the status of the campaign against colorectal cancer, and a survivor will share their experience in fighting and surviving colon cancer. The public is invited to learn more about the burden of colon cancer in the Lubbock and the South Plains Region and how they can help.
The American Cancer Society has adopted the National Colorectal Cancer Roundtable initiative to eliminate colorectal cancer as a major public health problem and is working toward the goal of reaching 80% colon screening rates nationwide by 2018. The Society urges community organizations, businesses, and individuals to take the pledge to support the “80% by 2018 initiative”; interested parties can download a pledge form at nccrt.org or sign a pledge form or banner at the American Cancer Society office.
Colorectal cancer is the second leading cause of cancer death in the United States among men and women combined. At least 1 in 3 adults in the U.S. aged 50-75 years have not been tested for colon cancer as recommended by the American Cancer Society and the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force, according to a CDC report. There are several recommended screening options including colonoscopy, stool tests (fecal immunochemical test [FIT], or guaiac fecal occult blood test [FOBT], or DNA stool test), or flexible sigmoidoscopy.
This year alone, an estimated more than 137,000 men and women will be diagnosed with colorectal cancer, while another 50,000 will die from it. Increasing colorectal cancer screening rates to 80% should save numerous lives each year by helping detect and treat cancer early and avoiding preventable cancer-related deaths.
The American Cancer Society is the nationwide, community-based, voluntary health organization dedicated to eliminating cancer as a major health problem by preventing cancer, saving lives, and diminishing suffering from cancer, through research, education, advocacy, and service.
(News release from the American Cancer Society Lubbock)
