Did you know that March is National Colorectal Cancer Awareness Month? Dark blue is the awareness color worn throughout the month to spark curiosity and start a conversation about colon cancer.
This long sleeve tee has a printed graphic of human colon cancer cells with the cell nuclei stained red and the protein E-cadherin stained green. E-cadherin is a cell adhesion molecule and its loss signals a process known as the epithelial-mesenchymal transition in which cells acquire the ability to migrate and become invasive. This image is part of the NCI Cancer Close Up 2015 Collection.
Powered by funding from Pelotonia, the Ohio Colorectal Cancer Prevention Initiative (OCCPI) is a statewide initiative to screen newly diagnosed colorectal cancer (CRC) patients and their biological relatives for Lynch syndrome, a cancer-causing condition that occurs when a person inherits a mutation in one of four genes. Individuals with Lynch syndrome are very likely to develop CRC, uterine, ovarian, stomach or other cancers during their lifetime. The screening effort will identify family members who may be at risk of developing these cancers so they can take precautionary measures.
Heather Hampel, MS, LGC, professor at The Ohio State University College of Medicine and genetic counselor at the OSUCCC – James, explains the significance of this work for affected family members: “These are people who haven’t had cancer yet, and we can tell them whether they’re at risk or not. They can get the appropriate screening and keep from getting cancer. This is a very preventable cancer, and genetic testing can save lives.”
The work of the OCCPI is estimated to save nearly 1,000 years of life for Ohioans. Says Hampel, “We absolutely could not even be doing this without Pelotonia.”
Photo Credit:
Source: NCI Center for Cancer Research
Creator: Urbain Weyemi, Christophe E. Redon, William M. Bonner
Unisex