Colorectal Cancer: The Latest Research and Guidance on Risk, Screening Recommendations, and Resources to Support Public Health Professionals

Overview:

This is a recording of a webinar on March 26, 2024.

In 2024, an estimated 159,600 cases of colorectal cancer will be diagnosed in the US, and a total of 53,010 people will die from these cancers. Raising colorectal cancer screening rates is more critical than ever as incidence grows among people younger than 55 years of age. Even more concerning are recent findings that show colorectal cancer is now the leading cause of cancer death in men and the second in women under 50 years old. This leads us to ask questions about why rates have gone up and what we should be looking for. This webinar will discuss current nutrition and colorectal cancer research being conducted through the American Cancer Society. It will also address the basics of colorectal cancer by touching on current guidelines and the importance of making this cancer an area of focus. The webinar will introduce the National Colorectal Cancer Roundtable and provide several resources available to public health practitioners. 

Caroline Um, PhD, MPH, RD, is a Principal Scientist in Population Science at the American Cancer Society (ACS). Her research focuses on understanding risk factors of colorectal and other gastrointestinal cancers, with a particular interest in colorectal cancer in younger populations. She first joined ACS as a postdoctoral fellow and investigated how various foods and nutrients are related to colorectal cancer risk. Now, to investigate the role of the gut and oral microbiomes in cancer risk and progression, she leads the CPS-3 Gut & Oral Microbiome Sub-Study, which has collected over 10,000 paired stool and saliva samples from participants of the CPS-3 cohort. Caroline received her BS and MPH degrees in Nutrition at the University of North Carolina- Chapel Hill and her PhD in Nutrition at Emory University. 

Emily Bell, MPH, Director of the National Colorectal Cancer Roundtable. 

Learning Objectives: By the end of this webinar, participants will be able to:

• Summarize the risk factors associated with colorectal cancer.
• Recommend effective strategies to help mitigate the risks of colorectal cancer.
• Explain current colorectal cancer screening guidelines.
• Locate colorectal cancer resources available to public health practitioners.

CERTIFICATE: The course contains two modules: a module to access the webinar and an evaluation module. After accessing both modules, learners will earn a certificate of completion.

This project is supported by the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) under grant number UB6HP31680, Public Health Training Centers for $4,348,992. This information or content and conclusions are those of the author and should not be construed as the official position or policy of, nor should any endorsements be inferred by HRSA, HHS or the U.S. Government.