Quad Cities, USA (March 7, 2011) - March is Colon Cancer Awareness Month and gastroenterologists and other healthcare professionals from around the Quad Cities are joining forces to spread the word about how colon cancer can be prevented. Colon Cancer Free QCA is a coalition of physicians and staff from The Center for Digestive Health, Gastroenterology Consultants and Trinity Medical Center. Colon Cancer Free QCA is coordinating efforts to raise public and clinical awareness of the role that colonoscopies play in the prevention and early detection of colon cancer. Physicians from these practices will address groups in the area about why colonoscopies are so important. Others will be talking with family physicians about the importance of patients receiving colonoscopies early in life. Colon Cancer Free QCA will also publish public service announcements throughout March.
On Saturday, March 5th, as part of Colon Cancer Free QCA, free colonoscopies were provided to 15 uninsured patients identified as high-risk by the Good Samaritan Clinic in Moline. Nurses and support staff from Trinity Regional Health System - along with Drs. Ahmad Cheema, Sreenivas Chintalapani, Arvind Movva, Shasinath Chandrashasegowda and Poonput Chotiprasidhi, gastroenterologists from competing practices -- volunteered their service. The exams were performed free-of-charge for the high-risk patients, who were identified as being high-risk by the Good Samaritan Clinic. Anesthesiologists from Western Illinois Anesthesiology participated in the free clinic. Lab and pathology services were donated by Metro Lab. A grant from Trinity Health Foundation helped fund part of the clinic's costs.
Excluding skin cancer, colon cancer is the third most common cancer diagnosis in the United States. It remains among the top three cancer killers, even though it is also the most preventable form of deadly cancer. The most effective means of preventing colon cancer is a colonoscopy, where pre-cancerous polyps are removed before they turn to cancer and early cancers are seen and biopsied, often before they cause symptoms. If the cancer is detected early, before symptoms appear, a person's chance of survival is about 90 percent. People with an average risk for colon cancer should be tested at age 50. However, screenings should begin at age 40 if you have a family history of colon cancer. Colon cancer affects men and women equally, crossing all socio-economic lines.
Among those serving on Colon Cancer Free QCA committee are several who've been personally touched by colon cancer. Committee member Courtney Boothe is a Moline native and the daughter of Frank Boothe, a colon cancer survivor, "This coalition is doing something that is much needed in today's world, I hadn't really heard of colon cancer until my father was diagnosed with it. Last year when I heard about Colon Cancer Free QCA, I wanted to do anything I could to help raise awareness." Booth hopes her participation in CCFQCA inspires others to take a step that could save their lives.
For more information about Colon Cancer Free QCA visit www.coloncancerfreeqca.com.
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