DAYTONA BEACH, FLA. – (March 13, 2018) – In recognition of National Colorectal Cancer Awareness Month, the Colorectal Cancer Alliance’s BIG Colon Tour will make its Volusia County debut on Thursday, March 22 at Halifax Health Medical Center of Daytona Beach, 303 N. Clyde Morris Boulevard, in front of the France Tower, from 9:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m.
Sponsored by Bayer Healthcare, LLC, The BIG Colon Tour is a nationwide initiative to spread awareness of colorectal cancer and the importance of being screened for the disease. The BIG Colon Tour features a giant, 20-foot-long, inflatable colon that provides an overview of the various stages of disease including normal colon tissue, Crohn’s Disease, polyp, malignant polyp, colon cancer and advanced colon cancer. Free, interactive tours will begin each hour of the event.
What Is Colorectal Cancer?
Colorectal cancer is a cancer that starts in the colon or the rectum. These cancers can also be named colon or rectal cancer depending on where they start. Colon cancer and rectal cancer are often grouped together because they have many features in common.
Cases Rising Among Young Adults
According to the Colon Cancer Coalition, the risk of colorectal cancer increases with age, with 91 percent of cases diagnosed in individuals 50 years of age and older. However, from 1998 to 2007, the rates of colorectal cancer cases have declined steadily in adults 50 years and older and have increased by more than two percent each year in younger adults – as much as four percent for rectal cancers and three percent for colon cancer. Approximately 72 percent of cases of colorectal cancer in young people arise in the colon and about 28 percent in the rectum.
In addition, research has found younger adults were more likely than older adults to be diagnosed with late-stage cancers with adults in their thirties about 30 percent more likely than other age groups to be diagnosed with cancers in stage three or four.
Those interested in learning more about colorectal cancer prevention and living a healthy lifestyle are invited to this free event. Student tour groups are encouraged to attend.
To schedule a group tour for this event, or for more information, call 386.425.4545 or email samira.mirzai@halifax.org.
About the Colorectal Cancer Alliance
The Colorectal Cancer Alliance is a national nonprofit committed to ending colorectal cancer. Working with our nation of passionate allies, we diligently support the needs of patients and families, caregivers, and survivors, eagerly raise awareness of preventive screening, and continually strive to fund critical research. As allies in the struggle, we are fiercely determined to end colorectal cancer within our lifetime. For more information, visit ccalliance.org.
About Halifax Health
Recognized by The Joint Commission as a Top Performer on Key Quality Measures, Halifax Health serves Volusia and Flagler counties, providing a continuum of healthcare services through a network of organizations including a tertiary hospital, community hospital, freestanding emergency department, an urgent care, psychiatric services, a cancer treatment center with five outreach locations, the area’s largest hospice, a center for inpatient rehabilitation, primary care walk-in clinics, a walk-in clinic specializing in women’s health, a pediatric care community clinic, three children’s medical practices, a home healthcare agency, and an exclusive provider organization. Halifax Health offers the area’s only Level II Trauma Center, Comprehensive Stroke Center, Pediatric Intensive Care Unit, Pediatric Emergency Department, Child and Adolescent Behavioral Services, complete Neurosurgical Services, OB Emergency Department and Level II Neonatal Intensive Care Unit that cares for babies born as early as 28 weeks. For more information, visit halifaxhealth.org.
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