Colorectal screening kits available Thursday

April is Cancer Control month

During Cancer Control Month in April, Occupational Medicine's (HSR-2) Health Promotion team is encouraging Laboratory workers to learn more about how to prevent the nation's second leading cause of cancer-related deaths, colorectal cancer.

From noon to 1:30 p.m., Thursday (April 22), HSR-2 is giving away a limited quantity of LifeGuard home test kits for detecting fecal occult blood for individuals at risk. Information about colorectal cancer will be available along with the free test kits, said Marta Gentry Munger of HSR-2. The screening kits will be available in the lobby of the Otowi Building at Technical Area 3.

Gentry Munger said it is estimated that 90 percent of all colorectal cancer cases and deaths are preventable through regular screening and a healthy lifestyle.

Fecal occult blood is one of several screening tests recommended beginning at age 50, and earlier for higher risk groups. Those groups include people with a personal or family history of benign colorectal polyps, colorectal cancer, or inflammatory bowel disease, such as ulcerative colitis or Crohn's Disease.

Along with regular colorectal cancer screenings, exercise and maintaining a healthy weight can lower risk of being diagnosed with colorectal cancer, said Gentry Munger.

For more information about the test kits, go to http://int.lanl.gov/worklife/health/phd/ online. Or contact Diane Min Fa of HSR-2 at 5-0520 or dianemf@lanl.gov by electronic mail or Gentry Munger at 7-7166 or mgm@lanl.gov by electronic mail.

More information also is available at the Cancer Research and Prevention Foundation Web site at http://www.preventcancer.org/colorectal/aboutcolorectal/aboutcolo.cfm online.

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