February 21, 2000
Boston doctors join Katie Couric to fight Colorectal Cancer
Major National Campaign To Stop #2 Cancer Killer Unveiled
On Wednesday, March 1, 2000, Dr. Robert J. Mayer of Dana-Farber Cancer Institute and Dr. Walter Willett of the Harvard School of Public Health will join Katie Couric, Lilly Tartikoff, and actor Dennis Franz to launch the National Colorectal Cancer Research Alliance (NCCRA). The event, to be held at the Museum of Television and Radio in New York City, will launch this unique alliance to build awareness of colorectal cancer - the nation's second leading cause of cancer death.
The NCCRA has recruited Boston's Dr. Mayer and Dr. Willett to join an elite board of leading colorectal researchers to study the risk factors associated with this disease. The board will also work to identify potential preventive therapies and better, non-invasive tests to help detect colorectal cancer in its early stages. Ultimately, the NCCRA hopes to help find a cure for a disease that claims approximately 57,000 Americans every year.
Dr. Robert J. Mayer is the director of the Center for Gastrointestinal Oncology at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute and a Professor of Medicine at Harvard Medical School. Dedicated to treating patients with GI cancers and researching its cures, Dr. Mayer is investigating more effective treatments such as new chemotherapeutic agents for metastatic disease. He is also involved in a risk assessment and management study of patients and families at high risk for developing colorectal cancer.
Dr. Walter Willett is a professor of Epidemiology and Nutrition at the Harvard School of Public Health and is chair of the Department of Nutrition. His research involves the investigation of dietary factors in the cause and prevention of cardiovascular disease, cancers, and other conditions. Much of his research has focused directly on the role diet and nutrition play in the development or prevention of colorectal cancer
The Harvard Center for Cancer Prevention created a new personalized method for estimating and lowering an individual's cancer risk at www.yourcancerrisk.harvard.edu. The interactive site presents a questionnaire that covers topics of prior medical history, family history, screening history, and lifestyle factors. After a user has completed the confidential questionnaire, the site produces an individualized assessment of that person's risk for four types of cancer: colon, breast, prostate, and lung. The site then provides feedback on simple lifestyle changes that the individual can make to lower his or her risk. Individuals can actually witness their risk fall with each factor entered.
The NCCRA will strive to raise public awareness about the nation's second leading cancer killer, as the disease is more than 90 percent curable if caught early and if potentially cancerous colorectal polyps are removed. Even though the disease is highly preventable, fewer t
