We are honored and excited that CGA-IGC leaders and partners will be participating in the upcoming CancerMoonshot Forum on Colorectal Cancer (CRC) at the White House on March 10th, 2023.
Our 2022 President, Dr. Swati G. Patel has been invited to this important forum, along with CGA-IGC Membership Committee Member and Co-Founder of AliveAndKickn, David Dubin, Fight Colorectal Cancer Research Advocacy Training Manager and CGA-IGC Research Grant Reviewer, Phuong Gallagher, and Fight CRC President, Anjee Davis. This forum will bring together patients, caretakers, clinicians, researchers, and administration officials to foster discussions on progress and opportunities in CRC awareness, screening, access, and treatments.
The upcoming forum, taking place during #ColorectalCancerAwarenessMonth, builds on the July 2022 meeting, where patient advocacy groups such as FightCRC, clinicians, and business leaders convened with White House Cancer Moonshot coordinators and representatives from federal agencies to discuss how to improve access to colorectal cancer screening.
The forum precedes Fight CRC’s annual multi-day advocacy event, including the United in Blue Rally on Monday, March 13th, at the National Mall and the Call-on Congress on Tuesday, March 14th, where advocates and patients will meet with elected officials to seek support for federal funding to advance prevention, early detection, treatment, and survival.
CGA-IGC and its members stand alongside our patient advocacy partners and support the call to improve equitable access to colorectal cancer screening and hereditary cancer risk assessment services. Hereditary syndromes cause 5-10% of colorectal cancers, and access to early screening and genomics services are critical for the best possible outcome for patients and families.
We know that colorectal cancer screening is effective at detecting disease at curable stages and preventing it all together by removing precancerous polyps. Despite this, CRC remains the 2nd leading cause of cancer-related death in the US, with alarming inequities in access to preventative services and disparities in outcomes. We are also observing a rising incidence in young individuals. Our mandate as clinicians is to not only do everything in our power to care for the patients in our communities but to demand our legislators devote the resources needed to advancing the scientific understanding of this disease so that we are best prepared to ensure equitable access to prevention, treatment, and survivorship resources to all individuals, for generations to come. We will stand beside our patients and patient advocacy partners and do everything we can to make their voices heard. We can stomp out this disease!
Swati G. Patel, MD, MS, 2022 President, Executive Council Member, CGA-IGC
The Biden Moonshot needs to be influenced by the voice of the patient community, to stress the importance of cancer prevention, improving treatments, and improving the quality of lives of cancer patients. The Moonshot is an opportunity to ignite the cancer agenda, it is important we leave the March 10 meeting at the White House to truly move the needle in meaningful ways that make a difference to the cancer community.
Anjee Davis, President, Fight CRC
This is a tremendous opportunity to be in front of the great aggregator, our government. Colorectal cancer in the younger community is on the rise. Studies showing genetic predispositions being more prevalent are also on the rise. I feel like it’s my/our responsibility to ensure that the two are framed together so more research and funding can be performed. I also feel it’s incumbent on me specifically to ensure that the next generation is framing the story appropriately for the Lynch Syndrome community, as I’ve been very outspoken in considering myself as a Lynch Syndrome patient, who happened to have had colon cancer (twice). I’m more than happy to represent and stand alongside the colon cancer community, but understand that my focus is and always will be on the Lynch Syndrome community.
David Dubin, CGA-IGC Communications Committee Member, Co-Founder, AliveAndKickn
President Biden relaunched the Moonshot Effort to ‘End Cancer as We Know It’ in February 2022 and set a new national goal to not only cut the death rate from cancer by at least 50% over the next 25 years but also improve the experience of people and their families living with and surviving cancer.
The time to act is now!
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About CGA-IGC
The Collaborative Group of the Americas on Inherited Gastrointestinal Cancer (CGA-IGC) was established to improve understanding of the basic science and the clinical management of inherited gastrointestinal cancers. The mission of the CGA-IGC is to advance science and clinical care of inherited gastrointestinal cancers through research and education as the leading authority in the Americas. www.cgaigc.com
About Fight Colorectal Cancer
Fight Colorectal Cancer (Fight CRC) is a leading patient-empowerment and advocacy organization in the United States, providing balanced and objective information on colon and rectal cancer research, treatment, and policy. We are relentless champions of hope, focused on funding promising, high-impact research endeavors while equipping advocates to influence legislation and policy for the collective good. Learn more at FightCRC.org
About AliveAndKickn
AliveAndKickn’s mission is to improve the lives of individuals and families affected by Lynch syndrome and associated cancers through research, education and screening. www.aliveandkickn.org