The number of
Americans who died of colorectal cancer dropped significantly for a second
straight year, marking a milestone in prevention. One thousand, one hundred
and ten fewer men and 1,094 fewer women died from this preventable disease,
however, more than 148,000 men and women will be diagnosed with the second
leading cause of cancer death in the United States. Of those, more than
55,000 will die from the disease, which is preventable, treatable and
beatable if diagnosed in its earliest most curable stages. March is
National Colorectal Cancer Awareness Month(TM) (NCRCAM) and the Cancer
Research and Prevention Foundation (CRPF) in collaboration with partner
organizations nationwide are determined to improve these alarming
statistics.
"Although much progress has been made in the prevention, diagnosis and
treatment of colorectal cancer," says Carolyn Aldige, president and founder
of the Cancer Research and Prevention Foundation, "much more work needs to
be done. We believe that education is the first step toward action, and
this nationwide campaign will educate Americans about the importance of
regular screening and, if they are diagnosed, treatment options."
Since 2000, CRPF has included a variety of educational opportunities
and initiatives to get the world out about the importance of colorectal
health and screening during National Colorectal Cancer Awareness Month.
These include:
-- This March, the Super Colon, an 8-foot tall, 20-foot long inflatable,
interactive replica of a human colon embarks on a thirty city tour to
help teach people about the risks, symptoms, prevention and treatment
options for colorectal cancer.
-- Another highly successful, annual CRPF initiative, the national
Dialogue for Action(TM) conference convenes leaders in colorectal
cancer prevention. This year's meeting, Innovations for Prevention: A
Dialogue for Action to Increase Colorectal Cancer Screening, will take
place in Baltimore, MD from March 21-23 and will address public and
private sector approaches to strengthening prevention and early
detection efforts.
-- The CRPF's Buddy Bracelet, a bracelet that reminds those who wear it to
get screened for colorectal cancer, has been distributed to over
500,000 people. After the person is screened, they pass the bracelet
on to a family member, friend or colleague to encourage them to talk
with a health care professional about colorectal cancer. The bracelet
is then passed along from that person to another person and so on,
creating a chain reaction that could save thousands of lives and
reinforces NCRCAM's motto "Colorectal Cancer: Preventable, Treatable,
Beatable." TM
About National Colorectal Cancer Awareness Month
National Colorectal Cancer Awareness Month is made possible by
presenting sponsor sanofi-aventis; premier benefactors Amgen and
Bristol-Myers Squibb; and major benefactor Roche. The Cancer Research and
Prevention Foundation together with its founding partners the American
Society for Gastrointestinal Endoscopy, Foundation for Digestive Health and
Nutrition and the National Colorectal Cancer Roundtable, joined forces to
designate March as National Colorectal Cancer Awareness Month in 2000. The
goals of this initiative are to generate widespread awareness about
colorectal cancer and to encourage people to learn more about prevention of
the disease through regular screening and a healthy lifestyle. For more
information about colorectal cancer or National Cancer Awareness Month,
please visit preventcancer/colorectal.
About the Cancer Research and Prevention Foundation
The Cancer Research and Prevention Foundation was started in 1985 when
Founder and President Carolyn Aldige first understood the power of
prevention to defeat cancer -- and recognized that too few of the country's
resources were used to promote cancer prevention research or education.
Today, it is one of the nation's leading health organizations and has
catapulted cancer prevention to prominence. Since its inception the
Foundation has provided more than $88 million in support of cancer
prevention and early detection research and education programs. CRPF
peer-reviewed grants have been awarded to more than 250 scientists from
more than 150 of the leading academic medical centers nationwide. This
research has been pivotal in developing a body of knowledge that is the
basis for important cancer prevention and early detection strategies. For
more information, please visit preventcancer/.
Cancer Research and Prevention Foundation
preventcancer/