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EMILY COURIC TO DISCUSS COLORECTAL CANCER SCREENING LEGISLATION ON MARCH 28 AT U.VA. HEALTH SYSTEM

State Senator Emily Couric will speak at the University of Virginia Health System on Tuesday, March 28 from 11:30 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. in McKim Hall Auditorium. The speech, hosted by U.Va.'s Digestive Health and Cancer Centers, will focus on recently passed legislation requiring medical coverage for colorectal cancer screenings.

The law, the first of its kind in any state, mandates coverage for individuals insured by health maintenance organizations or other private plans providing health care coverage in Virginia, as well as individuals covered by the state employees health insurance program and Medicaid recipients.

Senator Couric's legislation is an exciting step in battling this disease. Colorectal cancer is the number two cancer killer in the United States, yet it is one of the most preventable types of cancer, and it can be curable when detected early. We hope this will help to significantly increase the number of Virginians being tested each year, said Dr. Fabio Cominelli, medical director of the U.Va. Digestive Health Center.

Couric's visit is part of U.Va.'s recognition of March as Colorectal Cancer Awareness Month. According to the American College of Gastroenterology (ACG), nearly 150,000 new cases of colorectal cancer are diagnosed annually, and more than 50,000 Americans die from the disease each year. The rate of colorectal cancer is the same in men and women, and all racial groups are equally at risk.

The new law requires that colorectal cancer screenings include an annual fecal occult blood test (an exam to detect blood in the stool) and either a flexible sigmoidoscopy (an exam of the lower one-third of the colon) or a colonoscopy (an exam of the entire colon) as recommended by ACG and the American Cancer Society (ACS).

CURRENT ACG/ACS COLORECTAL CANCER SCREENING RECOMMENDATIONS

Normal risk individuals

  • At age 50, individuals without risk factors should have an annual fecal occult blood test and a flexible sigmoidoscopy every five years.
  • Doctors may also use alternative screening methods, including a colonoscopy every 10 years or a double-contrast barium enema every five to 10 years.
High risk individuals
  • People at high risk for colorectal cancer should have colonoscopy screenings performed at regular intervals.
  • Those at high risk include people with a strong family history of cancer, especially a parent or sibling with colorectal cancer or polyps, and people who have had colon polyps or a long-standing inflammatory bowel disease, such as ulcerative colitis or Crohn's disease.

For more information on the event, call (804) 924-DOCS.

March 21, 2000