Colorectal Cancer Awareness Month Promotes Testing, Regular Screenings

Governor Phil Bredesen has declared March as Colorectal Cancer Awareness Month. Tennessee once again this year joins this national health observance first created in 2000 by the Cancer Research and Prevention Foundation to increase awareness of the importance of regular screening to save lives and decrease the national burden of colorectal cancer (cancer of the colon or rectum).
The Tennessee Comprehensive Cancer Control Coalition encourages all Tennesseans to get screened for colorectal cancer if they are over the age of 50 or are at risk. This year’s awareness month follows the recent loss of a state legislator to colon cancer. State Representative Gary Rowe of Memphis lost his fight with the disease on Feb. 27, 2008.

“This month reminds us of the importance of taking steps to protect and improve our own health,” said Governor Bredesen. “I urge Tennesseans to include testing and regular screening for this illness among those steps.”

Colorectal cancer is the second leading cause of cancer-related death in the United States and the third leading cause in Tennessee. In 2004, the most recent year for which data is available, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported that 145,083 adults in the United States were diagnosed with colorectal cancer, and 53,580 adults died from the disease. In that same year, some 1,200 Tennesseans died of colorectal cancer, according to the Tennessee Department of Health’s Division of Health Statistics, and the American Cancer Society estimated 2,900 new cases of colorectal cancer were diagnosed in Tennessee.

“We know the impact of colorectal cancer can be lessened through regular screening, which has been shown to reduce incidence and mortality,” said Health Commissioner Susan R. Cooper, MSN, RN. “We also are aware that when colorectal cancers are detected at an early, localized stage, the 5-year survival rate is 90 percent. Unfortunately, only 39 percent of colorectal cancers are diagnosed at this stage, mostly due to low rates of screening.”

The American Cancer Society’s Cancer Facts & Figures 2008 estimates 3,290 Tennesseans will be diagnosed with colorectal cancer in 2008. According to the Tennessee Cancer Registry, approximately 1,200 deaths each year in Tennessee are due to colorectal cancer. The 1999-2003 age-adjusted colorectal cancer mortality rate in Tennessee was 20.8 per 100,000 population. This is slightly higher than the U.S. rate of 19.6 per 100,000.

Men and women who have no symptoms or relevant risk factors should begin screening for colorectal cancer at age 50. A fecal occult blood test that measures blood in the stool is recommended every year. Other tests include flexible sigmoidoscopy and double-contrast barium enema that are recommended every five years. A colonoscopy test is recommended every 10 years.
If you are at risk for colorectal cancer, your primary care physician may determine tests are needed more frequently or earlier than the recommended schedule for those at low risk. Risk factors for colorectal cancer include being over the age of 50, a personal or family history of colon cancer or intestinal polyps, tobacco use, inactivity and high fat diet. Race is also a risk factor, with African-Americans less likely to have colorectal cancer diagnosed in the earliest and most treatable stages.

TCCCC, a collaboration led by the Tennessee Department of Health and the CDC, was formed in June 2001 to address and reduce the burden of cancer on the state of Tennessee. In 2005, TCCCC launched a State Cancer Plan to achieve the goal of preventing and reducing the rate of cancer in Tennessee. With more than 350 volunteers, TCCCC has established five regional chapters throughout the state, but needs additional volunteers to combat colorectal and other cancers.
The Centers for Disease Control has established a Colorectal Cancer Prevention and Control Initiative which includes “Screen for Life: National Colorectal Cancer Action Campaign”, research related to colorectal cancer prevention and control, and activities aimed at increasing colorectal cancer screening. In addition, through its National Comprehensive Cancer Control Program, CDC funds state-based programs to better maximize resources, improve community-based education and health promotion, share expertise, and effectively target at-risk populations.

For more information on Tennessee’s cancer plan and the Tennessee Comprehensive Cancer Control Program, please visit http://health.state.tn.us/CCCP/ or call TCCCP at 1-800-547-3558. Additional information regarding the SFL campaign and CDC’s national colorectal cancer prevention programs is available at http://www.cdc.gov/colorectalcancer.