Colorectal cancer screening programs targeted at the pre-Medicare population (ages 54-64) could pay for themselves in avoided future Medicare expenditures, according to a study released last week at the American College of Gastroenterology’s annual meeting.

Using a computer simulation program, researchers estimated the total lifetime costs for screening and any subsequent treatment of colorectal cancer in people over age 50, using three different kinds of testing (fecal occult blood test, or FOBT; a mix of FOBT and colonoscopy; or colonoscopy alone). Read the rest of this entry »

Only one in five primary care doctors in the U.S. follows all the guidelines for colorectal cancer screening, according to a new National Cancer Institute (NCI) study. Of the remaining doctors studied, about 40 percent followed guidelines for some tests; the remaining 40 percent didn’t follow any screening guidelines.

Robin Yabroff, PhD, an NCI epidemiologist, said that the survey of nearly 1,300 primary care physicians showed that many either overuse or underuse screening tests.

Most doctors did recommend initial screening at age 50, and many followed suggested intervals for a specific test. But only 19 percent followed guidelines for every type test.

Read the rest of this entry »

Are those steaks and hot dogs bad for you?

Several studies have found a connection between eating red and processed meat and colorectal cancer.  But the reason for that connection hasn’t been clear.

To answer the question, researchers collected detailed information about the type of meat eaten by a large group of over 300,000 men and women and how the meat was  cooked. Read the rest of this entry »

Put on those sneakers and take a walk!

Today is National Start Walking Day.  Not only can regular walking reduce risk for heart disease, it can be part of an exercise program to prevent colorectal cancer and support survivorship.

Thirty minutes of walking at a moderate pace has been shown to reduce risk of getting colorectal cancer.  Plus exercise after surgery for stage III colon cancer reduced the chances of its coming back. Read the rest of this entry »

This morning, the President signed into law the biggest transformation of our health care system in decades.  The law includes a number of provisions that will help individuals diagnosed with colon or rectal cancer.

Although many of the provisions of the new law are phased in to take effect gradually until the entire law is implemented in 2018, some benefits will be available immediately.

Highlights of the provisions that will benefit individuals people facing cancer treatment include: prohibiting insurance companies from dropping patients who become sick; eliminating lifetime and annual limits on coverage; prohibiting insurance companies from denying coverage because of pre-existing conditions; and limits on on out-of-pocket expenses.

You can review a chart developed by C3 with key issues affecting colorectal cancer prevention and treatment that are part of the health care reform legislation.

While historic, enactment of this new law is just one step in an ongoing process.  Even after all the provisions in the new law take effect in 2018, many Americans may be newly insured but will still fail to receive the right treatment at the right time.  The Colorectal Cancer Coalition continues to support research to help develop new treatments and to support efforts to increase awareness about the importance of early detection and screening. Read the rest of this entry »