One of his patients, Mike, was building a stone patio in his backyard because it was “therapeutic, physical, and something I could control and have a sense of accomplishment.”

Among the “unique and remarkable ways that people living with cancer make the most of their time,” Lipson has observed several themes: exercising, leaving a legacy, activism, building relationships, giving. And the most powerful, he thinks, is “creating something.”

It can be painting, pottery, gardening, writing—any outlet to express unspeakable feelings, to get a brief vacation from the roller-coaster of cancer, and/or to leave something behind.

Several studies have shown tangible physical results—improved lung function in patients having asthma; decreased pain in rheumatoid arthritis; and in a 2010 review of 12 studies in cancer patients, improved psychological states and perceived quality of life.

In his own patients, Lipson wrote, he has seen them find “relaxation, solace, calm, catharsis, and healing.” He added, “What you end up creating is not important. What matters is that the process feels good.” If it doesn’t feel good, it’s fine to move on to something else. Instead of judging the outcome according to some external standard, Lipson said, “A project is worthwhile because it comes from inside you.”

Source: Journal of Clinical Oncology (online edition Feb. 7, 2011)

Today we are pleased to announce that the Colorectal Cancer Coalition is now called Fight Colorectal Cancer.

Our updated mission statement is:
Fight Colorectal Cancer demands a cure for colon and rectal cancer. We educate and support patients and caregivers, push for changes in policy that will increase and improve research, and empower survivors to raise their voices against the status quo.

We’ve changed our name and our look because we have a mission to accomplish and it requires some tough talk. Because when we’re talking about a disease that kills someone every 9 minutes, we want to make sure the person listening to us knows that the status quo is not good enough. We want them to know that there are 50,000 people who will lose their lives in 2011 to colorectal cancer, and that is unacceptable.

We are tired of the incremental progress and the words without action. We’re building an army, we’re waging a war and we intend to win; so much so that we made it our new vision statement: We envision victory over colorectal cancer.

Beyond the new name and logo and rebranded new website, our long-time supporters will see that the core of our work has not changed.

• We support patients, family members and caregivers.
• We serve as a resource for colorectal cancer advocates, policymakers, medical professionals, researchers and health care providers.
• And we do everything we can to increase and improve research.

At the same time, we:

• Ask patients, caregivers and family members join the fight against colorectal cancer by learning more about the disease, talking to others about it and becoming advocates.
• Urge researchers to act boldly and take chances with cutting-edge research, and
• Push policymakers to introduce and support legislation that helps people with colorectal cancer.

We’d like to thank our friends at Big Duck for all their hard work in helping us launch this new brand. Please pardon our dust as we work to update our site and links over the next few weeks. If you have any questions or concerns, please let us know.

Fight Colorectal Cancer.

Get behind a cure.

Since President Clinton issued the first Presidential Proclamation recognizing March as Colorectal Cancer Awareness Month over a decade ago, much progress has been made in the fight against colorectal cancer. Thanks to federally funded research, treatment options for colorectal have expanded to seven drugs, and more precise surgery and radiation.

But despite the research advances we have seen, colorectal cancer still affects far too many American families. Every three and a half minutes, someone is diagnosed with colorectal cancer. Every nine minutes, someone dies from colorectal cancer.

The majority of all colorectal cancer research, including clinical trials, is conducted by the federal government. Federal funding also supports colorectal cancer symptom awareness and screening programs.

Funding from sales of the new colorectal cancer stamp would go to:
(A) 40 percent shall be transferred to the Department of Defense Peer Reviewed Medical Research Program for colorectal cancer research;
(B) 40 percent shall be transferred to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention for colorectal cancer control programs; and
(C) the remainder shall be transferred to the National Institutes of Health for colorectal cancer research.

Many men and women who have been diagnosed with colorectal cancer attribute their survival to clinical trials and research funded by the government.

“As the friend of many patients and survivors, I am grateful to Representative Charlie Dent for his leadership on this critical legislation that will increase federal funding for colorectal cancer and bring much-need attention to the fight against this disease during Colorectal Cancer Awareness Month. As the daughter of a letter carrier who collected stamps as a child, I am personally thrilled about the idea. This stamp will help us raise much needed funds for colorectal cancer and will allow patients, caregivers and advocates to show their determination to win the fight against colorectal cancer every time they use the postal service,” said Carlea Bauman, President of the Colorectal Cancer Coalition.

“We urge Congress to pass this life-saving legislation to help us continue to fund proven federal research programs without increasing federal spending. Ongoing cancer research is on the verge of making great progress in the prevention, detection, and treatment of cancer. If we are going to find a cure for colorectal cancer in our lifetimes, we need a sustained investment in research programs that encourage innovation and ensure discoveries make it from bench to bedside as quickly as possible.”

Sponsored by the Colorectal Cancer Coalition and Prevention Cancer Foundation

• Call 1-866-615-3375 today or tomorrow to reach your Representative and Senators.
• Urge your legislators to co-sponsor the Colorectal Cancer Prevention, Early Detection, and Treatment Act.
• The bill will provide colorectal cancer screenings and treatment for low-income, uninsured and underinsured individuals who are not eligible for Medicare.
• Your three calls will take less than five minutes and could help save thousands of lives.

Don’t know what to say when you call?

Here are some potential talking points that you can use during your call. Remember, the key point is to ask your Representative and Senators to co-sponsor the Colorectal Cancer Prevention, Early Detection, and Treatment Act!

• I am calling today to bring a bill to your attention that was introduced by Representatives Kay Granger and Jim McGovern along with Senators Joseph Lieberman and Kay Bailey Hutchison.
• The Colorectal Cancer Prevention, Early Detection, and Treatment Act will create a national screening and treatment program modeled after the very successful breast and cervical cancer screening program.
• While the recently enacted health care reform legislation will lower the cost of preventive services like colonoscopies for many Americans, the health care reform legislation will not do anything to increase awareness about the importance of early detection and screening. Today, even among those with health insurance, screening rates for colorectal cancer are much too low – less than half of those who should be screened get screened!
• When the national breast and cervical cancer screening program was enacted in the mid-80s, the screening rate for breast cancer was around 29%. Today, that rate is close to 80%. It is time we made the same headway in the fight against colorectal cancer and enacted a national screening and treatment program for colorectal cancer.
• Please support the Colorectal Cancer Prevention, Early Detection, and Treatment Act. Colorectal cancer is a cancer that can often be prevented through regular screening beginning at age 50 or at a younger age if there is an increased risk. This bill will help educate the public and improve access to screening for those that might not otherwise be able to afford it.

Help spread the word! The more calls we make, the greater the impact.

Made possible thanks to charitable grants from Genentech and Epigenomics

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.

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.

• Charlotte, NC on March 5
• Raleigh, NC on March 5
• Chattanooga TN on March 12
• Philadelphia PA on March 20
• Winston-Salem NC on March 26
• Fort Myers FL on March 26
• San Antonio TX on March 27

A complete list of 2011 Get Your Rear in Gear events

Watch the video for more information about how the Get Your Rear in Gear program began.

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.

Congresswoman Kathy Dahlkemper

Along with Preventing Colorectal Cancer.org and the Prevent Cancer Foundation, C3 hosted a Congressional briefing in order to provide Members and health care staff with information about current colorectal cancer screening programs that work and pending legislation that has the potential to save thousands of lives and billions in Medicare expenditures by expanding access to colorectal cancer screening and treatment.

Congresswoman Kathy Dahlkemper spoke at the briefing about the impact of colorectal cancer on women and to urge support for her recently-introduced resolution.  A champion for the health care and wellness needs of women, Representative Dahlkemper discussed the importance of early detection and screening in the fight against colorectal cancer.

“Colorectal cancer is the second leading cause of cancer death in both women and men in the United States, yet many people are unaware of the need to be screened for this disease.  As many as 44,000 lives a year could be saved if colorectal cancer screening was fully accessible and utilized.  Colorectal Cancer Awareness Month is about educating men and women to save lives. I am proud to be part of this important effort to raise awareness and help in the fight against colorectal cancer.”

Dr. Laura Seeff, Acting Branch Chief, Comprehensive Cancer Control Branch, Division of Cancer Prevention and Control with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention spoke about the CDC’s colorectal cancer control programs.  The CDC’s cancer control programs have been highly successful in increasing population-based screening rates.  The program began as a demonstration project at five sites, and Congress recently provided the funding to expand the program to twenty-six states and tribal territories.  The CDC program is the model for the Colorectal Cancer Prevention, Early Detection, and Treatment Act introduced by Congresswoman Kay Granger.

Representative Granger’s health care advisor, Theresa Vawter, attended the briefing and spoke about the bill and why even with health care reform we still need H.R. 1189 enacted in order to increase population-based screening rates and win the fight against colorectal cancer.

Dr. John Marshall, Chief, Division of Hematology/Oncology, Georgetown University Hospital Associate Director, Clinical Research, Lombardi Comprehensive Cancer Center spoke about colorectal cancer from the clinician’s perspective.  Dr. Marshall spoke of the frustration of seeing patients every day in his practice that he shouldn’t see simply because those individuals who should be screened for colorectal cancer continue to delay and/or avoid screening.  He also gave an overview for attendees about current screening rates.

The briefing was moderated by Dr. Steven Morris, Chair Person and Founding Board Member, Preventing Colorectal Cancer.org and President, Atlanta Gastroenterology Associates.  It provided Congressional staff and other attendees with an overview of the current state of colorectal cancer screening and programs.

“Colorectal cancer is the second leading cause of cancer death in both women and men in the United States, yet many people are unaware of the need to be screened for this disease.  As many as 44,000 lives a year could be saved if colorectal cancer screening was fully accessible and utilized.  Colorectal Cancer Awareness Month is about educating men and women to save lives. I am proud to be part of this important effort to raise awareness and help in the fight against colorectal cancer.”

Immunochemical fecal occult blood test (iFOBT) screening kits are are available at the drive-up window at CentraCare Pharmacy at St. Cloud Hospital and at the Coborn Cancer Center.

Reminder from the folks at CentraCare Health System:

This screening does not replace a colonoscopy, which is the best method to detect colorectal cancer. To schedule your colonoscopy, please call CentraCare Digestive Center at (320) 229-4916.