Established

in 1997 by the American Cancer Society and the CDC, NCCRT is a national

coalition of public, private, and voluntary organizations whose mission

is to advance colon cancer control efforts by improving communication,

coordination, and collaboration among health agencies, medical-professional

organizations and the public; and by stimulating collective initiatives

between these organizations.

Through the

efforts of three NCCRT workgroups focused on provider education, public

education and health policy, the report provides health professionals,

professional organizations, policymakers and the general public with a

practical blueprint for increasing the practice of early detection for

colon cancer and colon polyps during the next decade. For example, the

NCCRT plan calls for:

Strengthening

the network of public and private organizations concerned with promoting

colon cancer screening.

Determining

clinical and consumer barriers to screening through research.

Assessing

current public awareness of and interest in early detection.

Developing

and disseminating health messages.

According to

the American Cancer Society, the nation's leading voluntary health organization,

colon cancer can be prevented if people better understand their risks

for the disease and get tested regularly. Colon cancer screening tests

identify suspicious or pre-cancerous polyps, which can be removed before

they develop into a serious health problem.

"Routine

colon cancer testing can actually prevent the disease from occurring,"

said Robert Smith, Ph.D., national cancer screening director of the American

Cancer Society. "But many people are unaware that they should be

asking their doctors about colon cancer screening, and, for a variety

of reasons, such as concerns about coverage or patient acceptance, many

doctors do not discuss the issue with their patients."

In addition

to public awareness and education efforts on increasing the use of colon

cancer screening tests, the NCCRT report calls for a greater understanding

of how health care professionals' view and promote colon cancer testing

as well.

"Some

health care professionals may not be familiar with testing guidelines,

benefits and limitations of testing, testing intervals, and potential

complications from testing," said Bernard Levin, M.D., vice president

for cancer prevention, University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center,

and chair of the NCCRT. "Professional education and practice programs

need to be developed and evaluated."

The American

Cancer Society is the nationwide community-based voluntary health organization

dedicated to eliminating cancer as a major health problem by preventing

cancer, saving lives, and diminishing suffering from cancer, through research,

education, advocacy and service.

For information

about cancer, call toll-free anytime 1-800-ACS-2345 or visit the American

Cancer Society Web site at www.cancer.org.

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