Representative Boren issued the following statement explaining the importance of observing Colorectal Cancer Awareness Month:

“Like far too many Americans, my life has been touched by cancer.  Twelve years ago I lost my mother, Janna, to colon cancer.  I understand too well the importance of catching this type of cancer early.  Colorectal Cancer is a leading killer in the United States that is made even more tragic  by the fact that early detection procedures are available to prevent much of the suffering and death caused by it.  By creating greater awareness of the disease and its available treatments through events like Colorectal Awareness Month, we can show that this is one cancer that we have the tools to fight back against.  I would like to commend the C3: Colorectal Cancer Coalition for their hard work and dedication to raising awareness about this serious, yet highly preventable disease.”

Representative Granger issued the following statement explaining the importance of observing Colorectal Cancer Awareness Month:

“Eleven years ago colorectal cancer was a disease that not many people were talking about.  In November 1999, a resolution passed the Senate designating March as Colorectal Cancer Awareness Month.  The House passed a supporting resolution in March 2000.  In the years since, advocacy groups like the C3: Colorectal Cancer Coalition have increased awareness about colorectal cancer and thousands of Americans have been screened.  The more we talk about this disease, and the more we encourage our family, friends, and neighbors to get screened – the more lives we can save.”

Take a minute and call your Representative at 202-224-3121 and ask them to cosponsor H.Res. 1114, so that this important Resolution can be scheduled for floor consideration by the full House of Representatives.

Over 50 advocates from 17 states and the District of Columbia will participate in the 2010 Call-on Congress.

The fourth annual Call-on Congress is the chance for advocates to hear from leading experts about current issues affecting the colorectal cancer community and to meet with federal legislators and ask them to make colorectal cancer a top priority.  Over the course of three days, March 15th – 18th, the C3: Colorectal Cancer Coalition will train colorectal cancer advocates – patients, survivors and caregivers – on how to have successful meetings with their elected officials.  On Wednesday, March 17th, the advocates will take what they learned to the halls of Congress, armed with information, state-specific colorectal cancer statistics, and a call to action: support colorectal cancer legislation that will save money and save lives.

Colorectal cancer affects both men and women, and Representative Dahlkemper’s resolution helps to dispel the myth that this disease affects only men by explaining the impact of the disease on women in the United States.  Nearly 55,000 of the new cases of colorectal cancer in the U.S. this year will occur in women, and nearly 25,000 Americans who will die from colorectal cancer in the U.S. this year will be women.

When diagnosed at an early stage, colorectal cancer has a five-year survival rate of 90 percent, but when diagnosed late, the five-year survival rate drops to only 10 percent.  Representative Dahlkemper’s resolution encourages women to regularly undergo screening for colorectal cancer as recommended by their doctors.

As we head into Colorectal Cancer Awareness Month, it is important to remember the impact this disease has on so many Americans and C3 applauds Representative Dahlkemper for introducing a resolution regarding the impact of colorectal cancer on women.

Advocates followed up C3’s very successful Call-on Congress with a one day phone blitz. Over 400 Congressional offices were reached and our voices were heard loud and clear on The Hill.

BUTT…Our job is not done. We won’t stop until President Obama signs The Colorectal Cancer Prevention, Early Detection, and Treatment Act into law. We still need you to contact your Members of Congress via email, fax or phone and ask for their support.

Let Congress know that March may be over, but our message remains the same all year long!

Click here to see which offices were contacted.

On Tuesday, March 24, 2009, C3: Colorectal Cancer Coalition advocates participating in the the 2009 Call-on Congress stopped by the House Financial Services Committee hearing that was taking place at the same time. One of our advocates sat down behind Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke, who was testifying at the time. Viewers of the televised hearings were then treated to the image you see above. Many eagle-eyed colorectal cancer advocates spotted the Cover Your Butt shirt immediately.

C3 advocates were visiting Capitol Hill to urge their legislators to support HR 1189, The Colorectal Cancer Prevention, Early Detection and Treatment Act.

Carlea Bauman, Rep. Kay Granger (R-TX), and Joe Arite

Representative Kay Granger (R-TX), C3 advocate Gordon Cole, who is a stage IV colorectal cancer survivor, and C3 President Carlea Bauman will be interviewed about ways to get involved in the fight against colorectal cancer on Tuesday, March 24th at 4 PM EDT/1 PM PST.

The interview will be broadcast on the “Frankly Speaking About Cancer” internet talk radio show on the Voice America™ Network’s Health & Wellness Channel. The show is hosted by The Wellness Community President & CEO Kim Thiboldeaux.

Tune into the show and learn how you can get involved in efforts to create a National Colorectal Cancer Screening Program. The show will also be available to download and listen after the airdate and time at the link below.

Tune in or download the show

C3 and our Cover Your Butt Campaign were also recognized for our efforts in building support at the grassroots level, and helping to shape policy decisions so the most effective colorectal cancer prevention and treatments are available to all Americans. Click here to read the resolution.

The resolution was introduced alongside HR 1189, the Colorectal Cancer Prevention, Early Detection and Treatment Act. The bill would create a National Colorectal Cancer Screening Program.

The bipartisan legislation would establish a program administered by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and would authorize $50 million in funding for grants to the states. The grants would be used to conduct programs to provide vital colon cancer screenings, information and follow-up services to those ages 50-64, with a focus on those most at risk, such as low-income, uninsured and underinsured men and women.

It is estimate that colorectal cancer will claim over 50,000 lives in 2009 alone which makes it the second leading cause of death from cancer in the United States. When screened early, however, colorectal cancer patients have a 90% survival rate. Disparities play a significant role in these staggering statistics, as being uninsured often impedes access to colon cancer screening tests, which would detect the disease at an earlier, more treatable stage or even prevent it before it starts.

Similar programs such as the National Breast and Cervical Cancer Early Detection Program (NBCCEDP) have been extremely successful. From January 2001 to December 2005 the NBCCEDP screened over 1.7 million people and was able to detect over 13,000 breast cancers and over 21,000 cervical cancers.

The bill also requires grantees to provide the full range of cancer care, including follow up of abnormal tests, access to diagnostic and therapeutic colonoscopy and treatment for detected cancers. As a result, the program will boost testing rates, reduce colorectal cancer disparities and save lives. This terrible disease can and will be beaten.

Click here to Take Action!

Add your name to the petition today!

Half of Americans over 50 have not been screened for colorectal cancer according to a new survey conducted by the Centers for Disease Control (CDC).

The 2005 National Health Survey interviewed 31,000 adults, including 13,500 who were over 50. It found that 50 percent of people over the age of 50 had been screened for colorectal cancer, but the other half had not. While this was an improvement over the 43 percent screening rate in 2000, it was far from desirable according to the researchers who analyzed the information.

Jean A. Shapiro, Ph.D., an epidemiologist at the CDC said,

Colorectal cancer is one of the leading cancer killers in the United States, behind only lung cancer. Screening has been shown to significantly reduce mortality from colorectal cancer, but a lot of people are still not getting screened.

Dr. Shapiro pointed out that lack of insurance and a usual source of medical care may be an important part of the problem. While over 50 percent of people with insurance had been screened, depending on source of insurance, less than a quarter (24.1 percent) of the uninsured were screened. Almost 52 percent of people who had a regular doctor were screened compared to less than 25 percent of those without a usual source of care.

In addition, Dr. Shapiro said that the expansion of Medicare coverage for screening in 2001 probably also was part of the increase.

She said,

If we can increase the number of people who have health care coverage, we should be able to increase colorectal cancer screening rates.

Other factors affecting screening that the survey revealed included,

• Less education: 60.7 percent of college graduates were screened, compared to 37 percent of those with less than a high school education.
• Lower household income: 58.5 percent of people whose annual household income was $75,000 or more were screened versus 37.4 percent of those who earned less than $20,000.
• Seeing a doctor more often: People who saw a doctor two to five times in the year before the survey were more than two and a half times more likely to be screened than those who had not seen a doctor at all (52.5 percent versus 19.5 percent).

About half of those surveyed who had not been screened reported that they “had never thought about it.” Twenty percent said, “Their doctor didn’t order it.”

SOURCE: American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) News Release, July 14, 2008.

Shapiro et al. Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers, and Prevention, Volume 17, Number 7, July 2008.

For information on how C3 is working to increase coverage for colorectal cancer screening and how you can help go to CoverYourButt.Org.