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The Cancer No One Wants To Talk About is Preventable, Beatable and Treatable If Detected and Treated Early
C.A.R.E. Network Offers Free Colorectal Cancer Screenings
(Baton Rouge) – March is National Colorectal Cancer Awareness Month: the cancer people are often too embarrassed to talk about. Colorectal cancer, or cancer of the colon or rectum, is the third most common cancer killer in men and women.
“The primary risk factor for colorectal cancer is age,” said Kate Messina, Mary Bird Perkins Cancer Center’s C.A.R.E. Network coordinator. “More than 90% of cases are diagnosed in individuals older than 50.” Fifty is the recommended age to begin colorectal cancer screening, unless there is a family history, in which case you should start earlier. Check with your family doctor for the most appropriate screening option for your age and medical history.
Colorectal cancer usually causes no symptoms in its early stages, making screening vitally important. The disease starts with benign polyps that often bleed. “Take-home kits distributed at the screenings test for occult, or hidden, blood,” said Messina. She emphasized that the take-home kit, which must be picked up by the user, is not a substitute for a colonoscopy but is just one form of colorectal cancer screening. The gold standard for colorectal cancer screening is the colonoscopy.
If you are age fifty or older and have not been screened for colon cancer in the past 12 months, here’s where you can pick up a free take-home colorectal cancer screening kit from Mary Bird Perkins C.A.R.E. Network’s Early Bird mobile medical clinic during March:
Tuesday, March 6th
St. Francisville Market (IGA)
Hwy 10 and Hwy 61
St. Francisville
9:00 a.m. – 3:00 p.m.
Wednesday, March 7th
Wal-Mart
37000 Hwy 3089
Donaldsonville
9:00 a.m. – 3:00 p.m.
Thursday, March 8th
Wal-Mart
59690 Belleview Road
Plaquemine
9:00 a.m. – 3:00 p.m.
Wednesday, March 14th
St. Elizabeth Hospital
1125 West Hwy 30
Gonzales
9:00 a.m. – 3:00 p.m.
Co-sponsored by St. Elizabeth Hospital
Thursday, March 15th
Baker Municipal Building
3325 Groom Road
Baker
9:00 a.m. – 3:00 p.m.
Monday, March 19th
Brusly Town Hall
601 S. Vaughan Street
Brusly
9:00 a.m. – 3:00 p.m.
Tuesday, March 20th
Wal-Mart
2799 West Thomas Street
Hammond
9:00 a.m. – 3:00 p.m.
Wednesday, March 21st
Council on Aging
5790 Florida Blvd
Baton Rouge
9:00 a.m. – 3:00 p.m.
Friday, March 23rd
Wal-Mart
880 N. Highway 190
Covington
10:00 a.m. – 2:00 p.m.
Saturday, March 24th
Wal-Mart
3132 College Drive
Baton Rouge
9:00 a.m. – 2:00 p.m.
Co-sponsored by Our Lady of the Lake Regional Medical Center
Tuesday, March 27th
Wal-Mart
904 South Range Avenue
Denham Springs
9:00 a.m. – 3:00 p.m.
For more information call 225.215.1234, 1-888-616-4687 or visit www.marybird.org.
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About Mary Bird Perkins Cancer Center:
Mary Bird Perkins Cancer Center has been fighting cancer for over 35 years. It is the only independent, nonprofit cancer treatment, education and research facility in Louisiana providing state of the art radiation therapy to all community residents regardless of ability to pay. Mary Bird Perkins has integrated cancer programs with Our Lady of the Lake Cancer Center in Baton Rouge and St. Tammany Parish Hospital in Covington. These programs are accredited by the American College of Surgeons – the gold standard for community-based cancer care. The Center also enjoys a long-standing relationship with North Oaks Hospital in Hammond.
About the C.A.R.E. Network:
The mission of the C.A.R.E. Network (Cancer Support Services, Awareness and Education, Research and Early Detection) is to lessen the burden of cancer in the community. Established in 2002, it is funded by gifts from the community and provides hundreds of programs and services, including free cancer screenings, to thousands of people every year. The research and academic medical physics partnership with MBP and Louisiana State University is also funded in part by the C.A.R.E. Network. The Center has locations in Baton Rouge, Covington and Hammond.