For more information, contact:

Four Corners Health Department

2101 N Lincoln Ave

York, NE  68467

(402) 362-2621

1-877-337-3573

www.fourcorners.ne.gov

or:

Mike Lefler

American Cancer Society

Phone:  402-423-4893 x4104

Email:  mike.lefler@cancer.org

Declines in Colon Cancer Occurrences and Deaths Highlight the Importance of Screening

American Cancer Society Emphasizes Importance of Access to Screening for Colon Cancer during National Colorectal Cancer Awareness Month

March is National Colorectal Cancer Awareness Month, and Four Corners Health Department is partnering with the American Cancer Society to encourage all Americans at average risk to begin screening starting at age 50.  The fight against colon cancer has seen much progress in recent years – the 2007 Annual Report to the Nation on the Status of Cancer reported that death rates from colon cancer dropped 4.9 percent per year in men and 4.5 percent per year in women between 2002 and 2004, and that rates of new cases have been declining steadily over the past decade in both men and women.  These important declines can be attributed to prevention and early detection of the disease through screening, as well as increasingly effective treatment.

Despite this progress, colon cancer remains the third leading cause of cancer death in both men and women in the U.S.  The American Cancer Society says 112,340 people in the U.S. were expected to be diagnosed with colon cancer in 2007, 41,420 with rectal cancer; and 52,180 were expected to die from the disease.  Wider use of proven screening tests could save more than half of these lives. 

“Colon cancer is one of only a few cancers that can be prevented through screening,” said Heidi Gubanyi, RN, Public Health Nurse and Community Educator with Four Corners Health Department.  “Precancerous growths, from which colon cancers often develop, can be identified and removed before they become cancerous.”  People should talk to their doctor about the appropriate screening test and schedule for them.

Colorectal cancer screening rates have recently increased, possibly due to multiple efforts to increase awareness of the importance of screening,  expansions in health care coverage for colorectal cancer screening, and the establishment of screening programs in certain states.  Nebraska has a Colon Cancer Screening Program (NCP) administered by the Every Woman Matters (EWM) program in the Nebraska Health and Human Services System.  NCP is the newest program that has been added to the EWM program and targets both men and women over the age of 50 who meet enrollment guidelines.  Nebraska is one of only five such programs in the nation.  The goal of the NCP is to increase screening for colon cancer and decrease the number of Nebraska men and women who are diagnosed and die from colon cancer every year. 

              However, in spite of these advances, only about half of men and women age 50 and older have been screened. A recent report from the American Cancer Society shows that the uninsured are less likely to receive recommended cancer screening tests, including colon cancer screening. While nearly half (48.3 percent) of men and women ages 50 to 64 with private insurance had a recommended colorectal cancer screening test in the past 10 years, only one in five (18.8 percent) of those who lacked insurance had received recommended screening. Further efforts are clearly needed to remove financial barriers to screening and to encourage testing. 

Colorectal cancer risk increases with age, with more than 90 percent of cases diagnosed in individuals aged 50 and older. A personal or family history of the disease also increases risk. Studies indicate that men and women who are overweight are more likely to develop and die from colon cancer, and a diet high in red or processed meat is known to increase risk.

The American Cancer Society, Four Corners Health Department, Every Woman Matters, local health care providers and other community citizens have joined together in the Four Corners’ Cancer Control Coalition to assure colon cancer screening is available through regular check ups and cancer screening events in the Four Corners’ region.  To find out if you are eligible for the NCP Program contact your local outreach worker, Val Tvrdy, at Four Corners Health Department.  For more information regarding colon cancer and screenings, call your local health care provider, Four Corners Health Department at 1-877-337-3573, the Nebraska Colon Cancer Screening Program at 1-800-532-2227, or the American Cancer Society at 1-800-ACS-2345 or visit www.cancer.org