Press Releases

April 28, 2011

Colon Cancer Alliance Brings National Family Friendly Conference To Colorado

Family Matters: What Every Family Needs to Know focuses on living with colon cancer

Washington, DC (April 28, 2011) – The Colon Cancer Alliance will host its national conference, Family Matters: What Every Family Needs to Know About Colon Cancer, in Denver, Colorado on June 23-25, 2011. This family friendly conference will bring together national experts who will cover a wide range of topics including genetic risks, designing a treatment plan, advanced disease treatment options and tips for living with colon cancer.

“We are thrilled to bring our national conference to Denver this year as the city has been incredibly supportive of our efforts to bring greater awareness to colon cancer screening and survivorship,” said Andrew Spiegel, CEO of the Colon Cancer Alliance. “Last year, during our Denver Undy 5000 event, we were excited to have Councilwoman Carla Madison, who recently lost her battle with the disease, provide encouraging and heart felt words to all participants. This year, we will honor her memory during the ceremony and take time to recall her amazing efforts to raise awareness of the disease.”

Over 1.2 million people are living with colon cancer. Colon cancer is the second leading cause of cancer death in the United States. It is estimated that 142,000 new cases will be diagnosed this year. Through recommended screenings, this cancer can be caught early when treatment is most effective — or even prevented altogether when pre-cancerous polyps are detected and removed.

The conference kicks off on Thursday with a reception and an awards presentation. Friday’s keynote presentation, “You (and Your Family) Have Colon Cancer – You are Not Alone” delivered by Tim E. Byers, MD, MPH from the Colorado School of Public Health will be followed by a series of breakout sessions featuring high profile guests from the American Cancer Society, John Hopkins University, the Cancer Legal Resource Center, the University of Colorado Cancer Center, Fight Colorectal Cancer, Cancer and Careers, EmergingMed, the Dana Farber Cancer Institute, and more.

The conference concludes on Saturday with the 3rd Annual Denver Undy 5000, which will take place at City Park in Denver.  The Undy 5000 encourages participants to run in their undies, or specially designed boxers, providing a fun way to bring attention to a serious disease. It is a family-oriented event open to all ages. In addition to the 5K run, there will be a 1-mile family fun run.

To register for the National Conference, visit www.ccalliance.org.  To learn more about the Undy 5000, visit www.undy5000.org.

The conference is sponsored by Ethicon Endo-Surgery, Genentech BioOncology, Salix Pharmaceuticals, Bristol-Myers Squibb, Olympus, Genomic Health, and Amgen Oncology.

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The Colon Cancer Alliance (CCA) is the oldest and largest national patient advocacy organization dedicated to ending the suffering caused by colorectal cancer. In order to increase rates of screening and survivorship, the CCA provides patient support, public education, supports research and conducts advocacy work across the United States.

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