All week, March 13-17, the Today Show will be featuring stories Confronting Colon Cancer.

On Wednesday, March 13th, Suzanne Lindley, Buddy Coordinator for the Colon Cancer Alliance, will talk about finding support from others online.  Lindley has survived metastatic colon cancer for more than seven years.  She credits part of her long survival to the support she received from friends she met via email.  She has been a member of the Association for Cancer Online Resources (ACOR) Colon Discussion List since her diagnosis.

As CCA Buddy Program Coordinator, Suzanne makes literally hundreds of telephone calls each week to other colorectal cancer survivors and their families, connecting them to others and encouraging them in their struggle.

Robb Kerr, who also has advanced colon cancer, will be on the show on Friday, March 17th, to discuss clinical trials.  Robb has been enrolled in several cancer clinical trials at Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center in Nashville, TN.  Robb was diagnosed in March of 2002 and has been on four different clinical trials since then.

Kerr now mentors other cancer patients who are considering or taking part in clinical trials at Vanderbilt. Robb is a research advocate with the Colorectal Cancer Coalition, and his story is on the C3 site. 

Suzanne Lindley Robb Kerr CCA Buddy Program

Maggie Inouye, wife of US Senator Daniel Inouye, died of colon cancer Monday, March 13, 2006 in Washington according to reports from Honolulu.

Mrs. Inouye was diagnosed with colon cancer in 2004 and had been receiving chemotherapy before a recent hospitalization at Walter Reed Medical Center.

Senator Inouye said of his wife,

It was a most special blessing to have had Maggie in my life for 58 years. She was my inspiration, and all that I have accomplished could not have been done without her at my side. We were a team. She always supported me, listened to my ideas, and many times offered invaluable suggestions that always proved she was capable of achieving as much on her own right, given her intelligence and education. Instead, she chose to join me on a special journey that took us to Washington, and gave us the privilege of serving the people of Hawaii.

Maggie Inouye

People with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), including chronic ulcerative colitis and Crohn’s disease have an increased risk of colorectal cancer.  Currently guidelines call for them to have colonoscopy every 1 or 2 years along with biopsies after their IBD is diagnosed.

Researchers at the Mayo Clinic reviewed medical records for nearly 300 colorectal cancer patients who also had IBD and compared them a similar group of patients with sporadic colorectal cancer.

They found that IBD patients were diagnosed at a median age of 48, younger than the average age for colorectal cancer diagnosis which is in the mid-sixties.  A smaller percentage of their cancers were located distally (near the end of the colon) — 55% were distal compared to 78% distal tumors in the sporadic group.

However, there was no difference in survival rates between the two groups with 54% of the IBD group surviving 5 years past diagnosis, compared to 53% of those cancer patients without IBD.

In an article in Clinical Gastroenterology and Hepatology, March 2006, the Mayo team concluded:

CUC-related CRC is diagnosed at a relatively young age, and IBD-related tumors tend to be distributed more evenly across the colorectum than sporadic tumors. The survival rates for IBD-associated and sporadic CRC were similar.

National Colorectal Cancer Awareness Month 

Jo-Ellen DeLuca and Kenneth Tillerson have joined forces to build a future where no one else needs to face colorectal cancer.  Both cancer survivors, they planned a conference, Cancer in Black and White, that met on Monday, March 13th, in South Carolina to begin conversations about the silent — but preventable — killer. 

Among those attending was Jenny Stanford, South Carolina first lady.

DeLuca, who was told she had colon cancer in 2001, and Tillerson, who was diagnosed in 1999, are committed to building awareness of colorectal cancer and screening in their community.  They sponsor a support group for survivors and families that meets in Jo-Ellen’s home and have distributed more than 5,000 brochures.  They frequently speak to local groups and church congregations.

Says Deluca,

We’ve lived to tell this tale, and we want to share it with everyone we can.  We work one life at a time.

Tillerson’s goal is to get men to the doctor to get checked for colorectal cancer, especially African-Americans.  He says,

Don’t be afraid to do it.  Be afraid not to.

 Jo-Ellen DeLuca is a volunteer research advocate with C3- the Colorectal Cancer Coalition.

M.D. Anderson Cancer Center will hold an educational session for colorectal cancer patients and their families and supporters on Sunday, March 26, 2006 from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m.

The free program is designed to answer questions that colorectal cancer patients have about the causes of colon cancer, new advances in colon cancer treatment, treating colon cancer after surgery, and recurrent cancer.  Speakers will discuss coping with a cancer diagnosis and how diagnosis and treatment impact the patient’s family.

• New Options for the Treatment of Colorectal Cancer
• Sunday, March 26, 2006
• 10:00 a.m. to 12 p.m.
• M.D. Anderson Ambulatory Clinical Building (ACB)
• Room Number ACB1 2325
• 1220 Holcombe Blvd.
• Houston TX 77030

To register online.  If you have questions about the program, email Andy Wade.