Siteman Cancer Center Launches Campaign to Help Curb Staggering Statistics
February 20, 2007, ST. LOUIS - While colorectal cancer is the second leading cancer killer in the United States, the incidence rate is about 10 percent higher among African-Americans compared with Caucasians, and mortality rates are approximately 40 percent higher - the highest of any population.
To help combat this trend locally, the Siteman Cancer Center at Barnes-Jewish Hospital and Washington University School of Medicine is partnering with Ethicon Endo-Surgery, Inc. (EES) to educate African-Americans in St. Louis about colon cancer through the "Speak Up About Colon Cancer" campaign.
The primary focus of the campaign is to educate local African-Americans, who have a higher risk of developing the disease, on risk factors, the importance of screening, and colon cancer treatment options. Local surgeons will be encouraging community members to "speak up" about the importance of early screening and detection of colon cancer. In addition to spreading the word, the campaign will raise awareness about the latest treatment options available, including minimally invasive surgery. Treatment for colon cancer may involve radiation therapy or chemotherapy, but the primary treatment in nearly all cases is surgery. The introduction of minimally invasive surgery allows patients to have a quicker, less painful recovery than they would with traditional, open surgery - good news for this highly targeted population.
Dione Farria, MD, director of Siteman Cancer Center''s Program for the Elimination of Cancer Disparities (PECAD), believes working to raise awareness about colon cancer screening and treatment options among the African-American community is essential.
"Such health disparities demonstrate the need for additional efforts to educate the 480,000 African-Americans in our city about colon cancer," she said. "African-Americans need to be aware of their risk factors for colon cancer, family history, and what treatment options are available. This communication currently is not taking place often enough, which continues to place African-Americans at a higher risk for this disease."
A groundbreaking study published in 2004 in the New England Journal of Medicine showed minimally invasive or laparoscopic surgery for the treatment of colon cancer had survival rates comparable to traditional, open surgery. The study, sponsored by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and led by the Clinical Outcomes of Surgical Therapy (COST) Study Group, demonstrated patient benefits of less time in the hospital, less scarring, and less pain with minimally invasive surgery compared to open surgery for colon cancer.
"For patients whose cancer is operable, the availability of minimally invasive surgery is a great step forward," said James Fleshman, MD, a principal investigator in the National Institutes of Health''s COST study and chief of colon and rectal surgery at Siteman. "This is a real victory for patients who can have a smaller reminder of their battle with colon cancer, with a quicker recovery time and less pain."
For more information about colon cancer screening and treatment options call 314-454-8064. To receive a free colon cancer information kit call 1-800-600-3606.
For general information on colon cancer log onto the Siteman Cancer Center website.