On December 23, 1971 President Richard Nixon signed the National Cancer Act of 1971 – sometimes called the War on Cancer.  Earlier that year in his State of the Union Address, the President had said,

The time has come in America when the same kind of concentrated effort that split the atom and took man to the moon should be turned toward conquering this dread disease. Let us make a total national commitment to achieve this goal.

Among other things, the legislation

• Strengthened the National Cancer Institute.
• Made the NCI Director a Presidential appointee.
• Provided $400 million to the NCI for 1972.
• Put funding for NCI into a direct bypass budget.
• Gave NCI the power to establish cancer centers and fund research grants.

In 1975 half adults and children with cancer died. Today nearly 7 out of 10 adults and 8 out of 10 children will be alive five years after they are diagnosed. Read the rest of this entry »

When patients in the Netherlands were offered a virtual colonoscopy for colorectal cancer screening, 1 out of 3 agreed, compared to 1 out of 5 offered a traditional optical colonoscopy exam.

However, it’s important to note that the virtual colonoscopies were done without laxative preparation.

In addition, optical colonoscopies found more advanced lesions (large polyps and cancers) than CT colonography.

However, as an overall strategy, the yield of advanced lesions per 100 people invited to participate in screening was the same because more people agreed to have a CT colonography. Read the rest of this entry »

This Thanksgiving Day, plan dinner accordingly, don’t turn off the football game right away or set the DVR, and don’t miss Kaleidoscope on Ice, a holiday spectacular and musical extravaganza celebrating cancer survivorship. Fight Colorectal Cancer is very excited to be a part of this show!

Taped before a live audience in Charlotte, NC comprised of cancer survivors and those touched by cancer, Kaleidoscope on Ice will air nationally on FOX on Thanksgiving Day at 4:00pm EST, immediately following the FOX Thanksgiving Day football telecast.

Olympic champions Scott Hamilton & Dorothy Hamill will co-host this year’s event which combines the beauty of Skating, the excitement of Song and the brave message of Survivorship to raise awareness of the key issues surrounding cancer.

Kaleidoscope on Ice will feature an unprecedented line up of Olympic and World champion figure skaters and award winning musical talent including Olympic silver medalist Nancy Kerrigan, 3-time U.S. national champion Johnny Weir, and Olympic silver medalist Sasha Cohen. The unforgettable, star-studded roster also includes 4-time world champion Kurt Browning, Olympic silver medalist Paul Wylie, Olympic bronze medalist Joannie Rochette, and more.

Complimenting amazing skating, the legendary, Grammy Award winner Patti LaBelle and American Idol winner Jordin Sparks will be performing, along with rising country musician Hunter Hayes, and Billboard’s 2011 Artist to Watch, Andy Grammer.  

Now in its 3^rd year, the Kaleidoscope mission is to provide America’s 12 million+ cancer survivors and their caregivers with inspiration, information and resources to help them thrive, live life to its fullest and feel empowered as they navigate their journey of survivorship.

Older colorectal cancer patients on Medicare who saw their primary care physician more often were less likely to die from colorectal cancer and from other illnesses.

They were almost three times as likely to have been screened and more likely to be diagnosed early. Read the rest of this entry »

On Saturday, November 5, 2011, Get Your Rear in Gear will hold its annual 5k Run/Walk for colon cancer awareness and the Tony Snow Mile for a Miracle at Fort Hunt Park in Alexandria, Virginia. The event will begin with the Mile for a Miracle at 8:30 a.m. followed by the 5K Run at 8:45 a.m. and the 5K Walk at 8:50 a.m. Funds raised from the event will benefit Fight Colorectal Cancer.