Jimmie Holland MD

This week CR Magazine presents a series of five podcasts featuring interviews with Memorial Sloan Kettering psychiatrist Dr. Jimmie Holland.

Dr. Holland is a pioneer in treating the whole person with cancer, including meeting their social and emotional needs.  She has worked in the field of psycho-oncology since 1977, urging that cancer patients be assessed for distress at their very first oncology visit.

Each day a new episode will be available including:

• The Shock of Diagnosis
• Cancer Myths
• Doctor and Patient Relationships
• A Family Affair
• Life After Cancer

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March is a special month for colorectal cancer patients, family members and advocates. This is the nation’s 12^th Colorectal Cancer Awareness Month, and we’re celebrating the fact that President Obama, several governors and mayors are recognizing it as such.

The point of awareness months are, as the name suggests, to increase knowledge about the particular cause it celebrates. But that increase in awareness doesn’t just happen. It needs to be fostered by organizations like the Colorectal Cancer Coalition and advocates like you.

Perhaps you have your own plans for spreading awareness this month (and if you do, please let us know…and send pictures).

Or maybe you’re looking for ways to get involved. Well, we have some suggestions for you.

March 2^nd and 3^rd:
Join the Congressional Butt-in. Call 1-866-615-3375 to get connected to Congress. Five minutes of your time could save countless lives.

March 3^rd:
Take part in CancerCare’s “Current Developments in the Treatment of Colorectal Cancer” Telephone Workshop at 1:30 PM Eastern.

March 8^th:
Be on the lookout for big news from the Colorectal Cancer Coalition. Sign up for our e-news alerts so you don’t miss a thing.

March 8^th & 9^th:
Follow advocates participating in the Colorectal Cancer Coalition’s Call-on Congress via our Twitter feed.

March 9^th:
Virtually join advocates visiting Congressional offices as part of Call-on Congress through our Virtual Lobby Day.

March 16^th:
Participate in our monthly Grassroots Advocate Chat at 8 PM Eastern. Exchange ideas with others from around the country on how they are working to ramp up the fight against colorectal cancer.

March 23^rd – 25^th:
Join Prevent Cancer Foundation’s “Dialogue for Action” in Baltimore, MD.

All month long:
Get your run on with Get Your Rear in Gear events throughout the country.

Get Your Rear in Gear 5K races and other events are scheduled in many cities in 2011 to get people to talk about colorectal cancer — with their families, their friends, and their doctors.

During March 2011 there are Get Your Rear in Gear Runs in the following cities.  Click on a city near you for more information about registration and times. Read the rest of this entry »

As the Australian government considers the future of its National Bowel Cancer Screening Program, Australian and US researchers provide compelling evidence of the cost-effectiveness of expanding the national screening program.

Australia has one of the highest colorectal cancer (CRC) mortality rates in the world. Its current screening program (costing about $29 million a year) provides a one-time immunochemical fecal test (iFOBT) for people aged 50, 55, and 65 years. Program funding expires in mid-2011.

A study funded by the Australian government and the US National Cancer Institute, published in the Feb. 21 Medical Journal of Australia, found that expanding the program to screen all 5 million Australians aged 50 -74 years every two years by iFOBT could end up costing only about $50 million more a year, while saving 300 to 500 lives every year.

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March and Colorectal Cancer Awareness Month are almost here.

If you are running a race — or sponsoring a walk — to raise awareness and funds for colorectal cancer, let us know. We’ll post it here on Research News.

Be sure to give us a link so people can find you and send the details of where, when, and how to sign up.

Email kate@fightcolorectalcancer.org with information about your event.

Thanks to KidsPrintables.com for the runner image.  It’s available there for your kids to color along with other fun things to do this winter.