Colon Cancer Awareness
Although the deaths and cases of colon cancer have significantly decreased
Throughout the month of March, the American Cancer Society is encouraging all men and women ages 50 and older to begin getting regular screenings for colon cancer. Colon cancer is one of the only forms of cancer that can be prevented with regular screenings. Doctors can check for any abnormalities and remove them before they progress into cancer.
Although the deaths and cases of colon cancer have significantly decreased in the last few decades because of testing and screening, over half of the population age 50 and older still have not been tested.
Dr. Stephen Parnell from the American Cancer Society stated, “we have an opportunity to significantly reduce death rates from colon cancer through regular screening. However, there may be barriers to screening, such as lack of health insurance. We hope that people will use this month, National Colon Cancer Awareness Month, as an opportunity to make screening a priority and talk to their doctors, family members, and friends about getting tested. By doing so, they are taking a key step toward staying well.”
In the African American community colon cancer is one of the most prevalent forms of cancer in men and women. It is expected that in 2010, over 16,000 African Americans will be diagnosed with colon cancer. Many of these cases are expected to be treatable, but there is still a need for greater awareness of the benefits of screening and early detection, as well as the negative effects of poor diet, lack of physical activity and tobacco use which, over a long term, increases colon cancer risk by 30 to 50 percent..
People who are overweight or obese have higher risk of contracting colon cancer, as well as those who eat a lot of red meat. The American Cancer Society also suggests that people engage in at least 30 minutes of physical activity everyday because it increases your chances of maintaining a healthy colon.
Keller Williams Realty, in conjunction with Palmdale and the Antelope Valley Mall, announced the results of their recent Red Day events.
Between their food drive and Red Day Walk, the groups raised $12,645 in cash and more than 10,000 pounds of food for local charities including South Antelope Valley Emergency Services (SAVES), Grace Resources, the WAVE Foundation and the American Cancer Society.
From April 18 through May 9, the American Cancer Society will be sharing an unprecedented opportunity with L.A. County residents to change the face of cancer for future generations by enrolling in a historic long-term study. Three hundred thousand men and women, ages 30 to 65, who have never been diagnosed with cancer are needed to enroll in the Society’s Cancer Prevention Study-3 (CPS-3) to help determine which genetic, lifestyle, and environmental factors cause cancer.
Proposition 29, also known as HOPE 2010: The California Cancer Research Act, imposes an additional $1 per pack tax on cigarettes, increasing the tax to $1.87. Revenue from the suggested tax would fund research for cancer and tobacco-related diseases. The increased tax will raise about $735 million annually by 2013-14 for research and tobacco prevention programs.
The American Cancer Society encourages African American men and women 50 and older to make testing for colorectal cancer a priority. Colorectal cancer (commonly referred to as colon cancer) is the third most common cancer among African American men and women. Colon cancer can be prevented through screening, which allows doctors to find and remove polyps in the colon before they turn cancerous. African Americans should begin testing for colon cancer at age 50, but those with a family history are at higher risk and should start testing sooner.
Krystal Toliver, 22, and Bridgette Bryant, 24, never thought much about the strong impact Breast Cancer had on society until it affected them personally.
Toliver, lost her mother and grandmother within four years of one another after breast cancer diagnosis. Her mother, Dorcas Toliver, died in July 2007 and her grandmother, Glenda Callegari, died in February 2011.
