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Military health activists are pushing Congress to explore the causes of high breast cancer rates within the military and veteran communities. If studies conclude that exposures during military service correlate with breast cancer, advocates hope to classify the disease as a service-related disability, thereby ensuring military medical benefits for service men and women battling breast cancer.

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During an optical colonoscopy, required every 10 years, a doctor inserts a scope into the colon to detect and remove small polyps that could potentially develop into cancer. The procedure itself is relatively easy but some shy away because of the colonoscopy prep that requires drinking laxatives in order to empty the bowels. A virtual colonoscopy, required every 5 years, still requires bowel cleansing, but is less invasive and only involves a CT scan.

The new method is an alternative for those people who are not getting tested because of the prep involved with either a standard optical or virtual colonoscopy. Patients are given a contrast dye a day or so before the procedure that “tags” the feces in their colon. The patient then has a virtual colonoscopy: the feces can be identified and digitally removed from the CT image. The Annals of Internal Medicine recently released a report that found a laxative-free virtual colonoscopy to be almost as effective as an optical colonoscopy at identifying larger-sized polyps.

The American Cancer Society has embraced the new virtual colonoscopy but the U.S. Preventative Services Task Force has not due to concerns about unnecessary exposure to radiation. There are also other non-invasive tests for colorectal cancer that do not require bowel cleansing. “The best test is the one that gets done,” according to Joanne Schottinger from Kaiser Permanente.

Read the full MSNBC article.

The Prevent Cancer Foundation is proud to support the following breast health and breast cancer screening and cervical cancer programs and initiatives:

The Mammovan has provided more than 32,000 mammograms to women in the Washington metropolitan area since its launch in 1996. Last year, nearly sixty percent of the 2,200 mammograms performed on the van were provided to uninsured women.

Over the last 17 years, ¡Celebremos La Vida! (Let’s Celebrate Life) program has provided services to over 7,000 women including over 6,800 mammograms and 6,700 Pap tests at sites in Washington, DC, Silver Spring, MD and Woodstock, IL.

Confess, the award-winning microsite, teaches girls and women about the importance of cervical cancer screening and provides facts about the HPV vaccine.

Breast Health Education for Young Women materials are a valuable resource for schools and communities nationwide. These materials have been used in almost all 50 states, the District of Columbia and several foreign countries.

Print and Digital Public Service Announcements and English and Spanish facts sheets about breast and cervical cancer are available free of charge.

These programs and educational initiatives are just a sampling of the Foundation’s efforts to prevent cancer or detect early when it can be most successfully treated. To learn more about preventable cancers and the Prevent Cancer Foundation visit our website, blog and subscribe to our health and wellness updates.

Mammogram Rates Declined After Women Gave Up Hormone Therapy

Over the past 25 years, the Prevent Cancer Foundation has worked to educate the public about the importance of prevention and early detection in lowering cancer incidence and mortality. In 2000, Prevent Cancer convened a coalition of 57 colorectal cancer organizations to urge Congress to recognize March as National Colorectal Cancer Awareness Month, and subsequently launched a major colorectal cancer awareness campaign to educate the public that colon cancer is Preventable, Treatable and Beatable.  This campaign has raised understanding about the importance of regular screening in colorectal cancer prevention to unprecedented levels over the past decade.

The Foundation provides a variety of CRC education and awareness programs. This year, the Foundation launched the first annual Screening Saves Lives National Challenge in conjunction with the new Web site ScreeningSaves.org. The competition offered community-based colorectal cancer projects the chance to win a one-day visit with the Super Colon and a $5,000 grant for related CRC activities.

ScreeningSaves.org also affords the Campaign a broader reach both across the country and online. The Foundation’s exhibit, the Prevent Cancer Super Colon™ travels around the country to both urban and rural areas with a specific focus on communities that are underserved or at greater increased risk for CRC.

The Foundation’s Dialogue for Action on Colorectal Cancer Screening conference brings together colorectal health professionals, advocates, community leaders and sponsors to discuss the challenges and solutions to colorectal screening. Dialogue for Action is part of a comprehensive and coordinated cancer prevention strategy that reaches out through states and regions, including outreach to Native American and Alaska native tribes.

We continue our efforts to reduce cancer incidence and mortality by funding research, educating the public and providing outreach programs that help thousands in communities across the country. The Prevent Cancer Foundation continues to urge the public to learn the facts about colorectal cancer. With regular screening, CRC continues to be Preventable, Treatable, Beatable!

The South Puget Intertribal Planning Agency (SPIPA) brings together the Chehalis, Cowlitz, Nisqually, Shoalwater Bay, Skokomish, Quinault and Squaxin Island tribes. These seven tribes are stepping away from cancer by offering their communities information to help them reduce their risk of cancer by walking a path that includes exercise, healthy eating, no alcohol or commercial tobacco use and getting screened early for preventable cancers.

SPIPA offers patient navigators for each of the tribes who work in the colon health program and assist in getting people screened.

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My parents walked in the house after the full body scan. It was a frigid February evening and my 12 year old sister and I could see from the looks on their faces they had not been given the news we expected. The cancer was going to be a very big deal.

My father was diagnosed with stage 4 colon cancer. His liver was completely engulfed in tumors and several of his lymph nodes were infected. He was told only 10% of people survive with a diagnosis like this. Being an incredibly optimistic person, there was not a doubt in his mind that he would beat it. After all, he had always considered himself to be in the top 10%.

Catherine's father Luke Osterhaus

Although he had a strong faith and a great attitude, the cancer could not be stopped. My father took an indefinite leave from his job and my mother became a full-time caregiver. In March, they removed a tumor the size of a grapefruit from his colon, and in April he started weekly rounds of chemotherapy. But after just three rounds it became clear that the chemo was doing more harm than good. My parents decided to end the chemotherapy and focus on using alternative therapies, including essential oils, acupuncture, prayer, healing touch, massage, music therapy, nutrition therapy, and regular walks to help my dad remain comfortable. He seemed to gain strength during the first few weeks of May, but by the end of May the cancer was taking control over his body and my parents were told if they wanted to do any last memorable things as a family, we should. We began hospice care, attended one last Twins game, made a trip to his hometown in Iowa, and he even got to take his girls to Wrigley Field for a Cubs game.

His battle with cancer lasted four months. He died on June 13, 2002 at age 39.

Unfortunately, my father had no reason to be screened for colon cancer, but now at age 23, I will have regular colonoscopies for the rest of my life. Yes, the “clear liquid diet,” as we call it in my house, isn’t my favorite way to spend twelve hours, but it is far better than the alternative.

My family’s experience with colon cancer does not have to be yours. If you are over age 50 or have a family history of colorectal cancer, talk with your doctor about scheduling a colonoscopy today. Colon cancer is one of the most treatable cancers when caught in the early stages.

Editor’s Note: Guest Blogger Catherine Osterhaus is passionate exerciser, health nut, and community health educator. She spends her working days encouraging others to eat healthy and be physically active to promote health and prevent chronic disease. To learn more about how to reduce your risk of colorectal cancer or to detect it early, visit the Prevent Cancer Foundation‘s new site, Colorectal Screening Saves Lives.

Along with a stroll through the Prevent Cancer Super Colon™ to highlight the importance of screening for colorectal cancer visitors had a chance to chat with onsite gastroenterology doctors and nurses.  Community personalities, Brent Farris and Debbie Abrams of KZST radio, helped spread the message and were onsite to show their support for colorectal screening.  The Press Democrat  ran a story on the exhibit event and colorectal cancer screening.

The event was a wonderful contribution to the community!

Projects may range from public awareness and education to encouraging or providing screening. Organizations should use the unique features of their communities in the design and implementation of their projects. The deadline for application submission is April 7.

The Screening Saves Lives Web site is an interactive place for individuals to learn about colorectal cancer and to share personal stories. The site is also home to a dynamic online community where both individuals and organizations can ask questions and share experiences and information supporting colorectal cancer screening efforts nationwide.

Everyone Wins!

• Every organization that applies will receive FREE colorectal cancer educational resources.
• Every individual who votes will receive a FREE “preventable, treatable, beatable” Buddy Bracelet
• FIRST Prize will go to the most innovative, imaginative and effective local colorectal cancer screening project. The winning organization will receive: a $5,000 grant to support its local project, a Prevent Cancer Super Colon stop in the winner’s community (a $10,000 value), and opportunities for increased visibility of the winning project through Prevent Cancer Foundation publications and platforms.

For more information about the Screening Saves Lives Web site or the National Challenge visit ScreeningSaves.org. If you represent a community organization or a project that would like to apply to the National Competition, contact me at suzette.smith@preventcancer.org or 703-837-3695.