Wednesday, December 25, 2002

National Colorectal Cancer Roundtable Releases Action Plan to Combat Preventable Cancer Killer

Blueprint Suggests Strategies to Remove Patient and Physician Barriers to Colorectal Cancer Testing

Colorectal cancer (commonly referred to as colon cancer) is the second most common cause of cancer in men and women; and will claim nearly 57,000 American lives this year. But colon cancer doesn't have to take such a high toll.

That's the goal of the National Colorectal Cancer Roundtable (NCCRT), a coalition of leading public, private, and voluntary health organizations, led by the American Cancer Society and the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). To help generate awareness of colon cancer and the importance of testing for prevention and early detection, the NCCRT today released "Promoting Early Detection Tests for Colorectal Cancer" and "Adenomatous Polyps: A Framework for Action." The action plan is published in the October 15 issue of the journal CANCER.

Established in 1997 by the American Cancer Society and the CDC, NCCRT is a national coalition of public, private, and voluntary organizations whose mission is to advance colon cancer control efforts by improving communication, coordination, and collaboration among health agencies, medical-professional organizations and the public; and by stimulating collective initiatives between these organizations.

Through the efforts of three NCCRT workgroups focused on provider education, public education and health policy, the report provides health professionals, professional organizations, policymakers and the general public with a practical blueprint for increasing the practice of early detection for colon cancer and colon polyps during the next decade. For example, the NCCRT plan calls for:

Strengthening the network of public and private organizations concerned with promoting colon cancer screening.

Determining clinical and consumer barriers to screening through research.

Assessing current public awareness of and interest in early detection.

Developing and disseminating health messages.

According to the American Cancer Society, the nation's leading voluntary health organization, colon cancer can be prevented if people better understand their risks for the disease and get tested regularly. Colon cancer screening tests identify suspicious or pre-cancerous polyps, which can be removed before they develop into a serious health problem.

"Routine colon cancer testing can actually prevent the disease from occurring," said Robert Smith, Ph.D., national cancer screening director of the American Cancer Society. "But many people are unaware that they should be asking their doctors about colon cancer screening, and, for a variety of reasons, such as concerns about coverage or patient acceptance, many doctors do not discuss the issue with their patients."

In addition to public awareness and education efforts on increasing the use of colon cancer screening tests, the NCCRT report calls for a greater understanding of how health care professionals' view and promote colon cancer testing as well.

"Some health care professionals may not be familiar with testing guidelines, benefits and limitations of testing, testing intervals, and potential complications from testing," said Bernard Levin, M.D., vice president for cancer prevention, University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center, and chair of the NCCRT. "Professional education and practice programs need to be developed and evaluated."

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.

For information about cancer, call toll-free anytime 1-800-ACS-2345 or visit the American Cancer Society Web site at www.cancer.org.