Colon Cancer Facts

According to the American Cancer Society, colorectal cancer is the 3rd most common cancer and the 3rd leading cause of cancer death. Colorectal cancer often develops without any symptoms, but the great news is that it can be preventable if caught early, with a screening exam. 

With recommended guidelines for colorectal cancer screening, your doctor can find colon polyps and remove them, before they become cancerous. Colorectal cancer forms in the tissues of the colon, which is the largest part of the intestine.  Rectal cancer forms in the tissues of the rectum, which is the last several inches of the large intestine before the anus.  Either of these cancers is called colorectal cancer.  

Get the facts on the disease, as well as colon cancer screening and prevention with Capital Digestive Care's infographic and please share with your loved ones - especially those 50 or older (45 for African Americans), or those with a family history. More information is available at: 
http://www.capitaldigestivecare.com/free-infographic-colon-cancer-awareness

By: Capital Digestive Care, The founding physicians of digestive care in the Washington, D.C., Metropolitan area (16 office locations), all CONNECTED, leading to a better understanding of each patient's condition & the most effective plan of care.

'Incredible Colon' to march across the state in Colon Cancer Awareness Month; more than a dozen stops scheduled

A special tour throughout the state of the Incredible Colon — an inflatable model of a human colon, large enough for visitors to walk through it — will promote education about risks and preventive measures of colon cancer during March, National Colon Cancer Awareness Month.

Colon cancer is the second leading cause of cancer mortality in Kentucky and nationwide, and it affects men and women of all ethnicities. Kentuckians have a higher than average risk of colon cancer due to higher rates of obesity, diets high in fat, and lack of regular exercise.

As many as 60 percent of deaths from colorectal cancer could be prevented if everyone age 50 and older were screened regularly, according to the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Screenings detect any abnormalities or early signs of cancer, like polyps in the colon, and when detected early, polyps can be easily removed during a colonoscopy before they develop into cancer. When colon cancer is found early and treated, the five-year relative survival rate is 90 percent, underscoring the need for preventive health exams.

However, only 63 percent of Kentuckians who should have screening tests have had them, according to Kentucky data from the federal Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System, an ongoing national survey.

The colon tour is a coordinated promotion by the Kentucky Cancer Program, local cancer councils and the Kentucky Colon Cancer Prevention Project. It is free and open to the public and will take place in 13 Kentucky communities March 4-28:

• March 4: Fleming County Hospital, Flemingsburg (10:30 a.m. - 2:30 p.m.)
• March 5: Walmart, Manchester (Noon - 4 p.m.)
• March 6: Hazard ARH Medical Mall, Hazard (10 a.m. - 3 p.m.)
• March 7: Rowan County Chamber of Commerce, Morehead (members
  only, 9:30 a.m. - 3 p.m.)
• March 8: Frankfort Regional Hospital, Frankfort (9 a.m. - 4 p.m.)
• March 19: Lexmark, Lexington, (Employees only, 8:30 a.m. - 2 p.m.)
• March 20: Lawrence County High School, Louisa (8 a.m. - 5 p.m.)
• March 21: Lady of Bellefonte Health Center, Grayson (10 a.m. - 2 p.m.)
• March 23: Phillip Sharp Middle School, Butler (8-11 a.m. )
• March 25: Town Center Mall, Ashland (10 a.m. - 3 p.m.)
• March 26: Walmart, Georgetown (3-6 p.m.)
• March 27: Adron Doran University Center, Morehead (9:30 a.m. - 3 p.m.)
• March 28: Walmart, Somerset (10 a.m. - 2 p.m.)

Attendees are invited to dress in blue, the color of colon cancer awareness, and there will be door prizes, giveaways (while supplies last), refreshments and educational information about colon cancer screening, prevention and early detection. (Read more)

Merry Christmas: Mistletoe extract being used for colorectal cancer treatment in Europe, could be a great boon for Kentucky

Kentucky has one of the highest rates of colorectal cancers in the nation, with about 50 of every 100,000 Kentuckians being diagnosed with the disease each year. The state also ranks among the worst in colorectal cancer deaths, with 18-20 deaths per 100,000 annually. So perhaps Kentuckians should care more about some research that was announced as seasonal fare: using mistletoe extract in chemotherapy. (Wikipedia image)

At the University of Adelaide, scientists found that an extract from mistletoe grown on ash trees was found to be highly effective against colon-cancer cells in cell cultures and was gentler on healthy intestinal cells compared with chemotherapy. In fact, the extract was found to be more potent against cancer cells than the chemotherapy drug. It has been authorized for use by sufferers of colon cancer in Europe, but has not been allowed yet in some countries such as Australia and the United States due to a lack of scientific testing. (Read more)

We should note that the leaves and berries of some mistletoe species are mildly toxic. The plant is parasitic, growing on trees and forming green clumps that are highly visible this time of year and popular as Christmas decorations, especially at the top of doorways, where tradition calls for anyone standing under the mistletoe to be kissed.

Beshear vetoes parts of budget, but health spending is intact

Though Gov. Steve Beshear vetoed 45 parts of the state budget yesterday evening, health-related spending was safe from the cut.

The budget will help reduce caseloads for social workers who investigate child abuse and neglect, funds colon cancer screenings for 4,000 uninsured Kentuckians, substance-abuse treatment for Medicaid recipients and includes funding for an elder abuse registry to protect senior citizens from unscrupulous caretakers.

"This is the most difficult budget I have ever drafted, and it will also be a challenge to implement and manage over the next two years," the governor said in a statement.

In the two-year, $19 billion budget, Beshear voted more than three dozen line-item appropriations, including "portions of the General Fund budget that limited his ability to manage the state's budget or spent money that doesn't exist," reports Beth Musgrave of the Lexington Herald-Leader.

He also cut some earmarks, including $100,000 for Actors Theatre of Louisville and $150,000 for the International Mystery Writers' Festival in Owensboro. "I am vetoing these parts because they identify new spending earmarks yet the General Assembly failed to appropriate additional funds to finance them," Beshear said. (Read more)

Kentucky continues to lead nation in cancer death rate

Though cancer deaths rates are falling nationwide, Kentucky continues to rank worst in the country for its number of cancer deaths, The Courier-Journal's Laura Ungar has determined. (C-J graphic shows rates for the nation, Kentucky and Indiana, the southern part of which the Louisville newspaper serves.)

Ungar's analysis stems from Thursday's release of the Annual Report to the Nation on the Status of Cancer, which concluded cancer death rates declined about 1.6 percent each year between 2003 and 2007 nationwide. Kentucky's death rate declined an average of 0.7 percent each of those years.

The state had a cancer death rate of 213.7 per 100,000 residents in 2007, which translates to about 9,700 Kentuckians dying each year from cancer. In 2007, Kentucky had a lung cancer death rate 50 percent higher than the national average, ranking it highest in the nation. It also ranked eighth highest in brain and other nervous-system cancers and higher than average for colorectal, prostate and breast cancer death rates.

Lung cancer is the most deadly cancer in the country, though researchers found, for the first time, a decrease in the number of women who die from lung cancer nationwide. The decline comes "more than a decade after deaths began dropping in men," Ungar reports.

Doctors are hoping to make more strides in battling the disease in the years to come. Thomas Tucker, director of the Kentucky Cancer Registry, told Ungar that smoking bans, higher cigarette taxes and anti-smoking messages should help drive down lung cancer rates. There has also been progress in the percentage of Kentuckians who are getting colonoscopies, a screening for colon cancer. Though more Kentuckians died of colorectal cancer than any other state in 2007, the rate has declined since. (Read more)