Topic: “Colorectal cancer isn’t a death sentence – early detection saves lives”
Featured guests:
Candace Henley
Executive Director and Founder, The Blue Hat Foundation
Colon cancer survivor, member of the UI Cancer Center’s Patient Brigade
Shikha Jain, MD
Assistant Professor of Medicine, Division of Hematology, Oncology and Cell Therapy, University of Illinois College of Medicine
Director of Communication Strategies in Medicine and Associate Director of Oncology Communication & Digital Innovation
The American Cancer Society estimates that 104,270 new cases of colon cancer will be diagnosed in 2021, and 45,230 new cases of rectal cancer. The rate of people being diagnosed with colon or rectal cancer each year has dropped overall since the mid-1980s, mainly because more people are getting screened, and changing their lifestyle-risk factors, such as exercising more and eating a healthier diet, the ACS said.
March is Colorectal Cancer Awareness Month, and Dr. Shika Jain and Candace Henley will discuss the disease on the March 7 “Doctor in the House with Dr. Terry Mason” radio program. Jain is assistant professor of medicine, Division of Hematology, Oncology and Cell Therapy, University of Illinois College of Medicine, and Director of Communication Strategies in Medicine and Associate Director of Oncology Communication & Digital Innovation. Henley, a 17-year colorectal cancer survivor, is founder of The Blue Hat Foundation and a member of the UI Cancer Center’s Patient Brigade.
This monthly program is hosted by Karriem Watson, DHSc, MS, MPH, associate director of community outreach and engagement at the UI Cancer Center, and director of community based research at Mile Square Health Center, and Terry Mason, MD.