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02/21: Colorectal Cancer: Forum to increase awareness and provide insight about B.C.’s bid to improve survival rates
“Scientists don’t get cancer?” asks Dr. Alan Ezrin, a biotech executive, rhetorically.
In 1999, the 53-year-old, self-proclaimed Type “A” personality, was diagnosed with late-stage colorectal cancer. Ironically, during his scientific career, Ezrin had developed drugs for breast, pancreatic and colon cancers.
“I was convinced that I would never get cancer,” he says, shaking his head.
He was so convinced; he ignored the symptoms, including a rumbling tummy, rectal bleeding and constant fatigue. “My scientist’s mind explained away all the symptoms,” he now says ruefully.
But by the winter of 1999, even he couldn’t keep up the pretense. Exhausted and aching, he went to his doctor, who ordered a battery of tests. A colonoscopy confirmed the diagnosis of colorectal cancer.
“They told me I had a lesion in my intestine the size of a Toonie,” says Ezrin, an American, then recently transplanted to Canada. “I had to think for a minute how big that was.”
Surgery – where he says he was “filleted like a fish” – was followed by nine months of grueling chemotherapy, standard treatment when cancer has spread beyond the bowel.
Now healthy, and the chief scientific officer for a successful Vancouver biotech, Ezrin is on a mission to increase awareness about colorectal cancer. “Nobody needs to go through what I did because colorectal cancer can be caught early. People are undereducated about cancer in general, and even less so about colorectal cancer. There’s a lot of anxiety when you say the word cancer, so most of us would rather ignore it, than do something about it.”
Nowadays, Ezrin, who travels and networks extensively for business, routinely asks colleagues, passengers on business flights, and even storeowners, if they’ve been checked for colorectal cancer. “I’m educating one person at a time,” he says. He’ll even jot down phone numbers and call people to make sure they’ve gone to see their doctor – particularly if they have a family history.
On Saturday, February 25, from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the BC Cancer Agency’s Research Centre, Ezrin will join a group of colorectal cancer experts for a “Colorectal Cancer Information Day.” This time, he’ll tell his story to what he hopes will be a full-house of more than 200 people.
Dr. Hagen Kennecke, a medical oncologist, and current chair of the Provincial Gastrointestinal Systemic Therapy Group at the BC Cancer Agency, is one of the speakers, along with Ezrin. “There is a lot less awareness about colorectal cancer than of breast, prostate, and lung cancers,” says Kennecke. “Overall, colorectal cancer is the second leading cause of death from cancer. However, if caught early, it is more than 80 percent curable, and that’s because colorectal cancer is typically a slow-growing cancer, taking upwards of five or more years to develop.
“One way of testing for colorectal cancer is a fecal occult test. It can find the presence of colorectal cancer in its early stages. If you’re over the age of 50 you should ask your doctor about it. Or if you have a family history, check with your doctor, as you may need to include a colonoscopy and begin testing at an earlier age.”
Ezrin’s 95 year-old father was diagnosed with colorectal cancer at age 45, but did not inform the family. “It was only after he found out about my cancer that he told me he had the same thing. Colorectal cancer was never mentioned in those days; they used the euphemism that someone had “stomach” problems. If I had been more aware of my family history, my cancer may have been caught earlier.”
While the importance of prevention and screening is a key message of the forum, current treatments and new surgical techniques will also be discussed. In addition, Kennecke will announce details of a colorectal outcomes unit at the BC Cancer Agency – a database to help track and measure the success of treatments of patients with colorectal cancer. It is funded through donors to the BC Cancer Foundation.
“We have a unique opportunity in British Columbia, because treatment outcomes are tracked, to ask questions that may improve treatment and cancer survival.” Questions such as what is the optimal timing of chemotherapy after surgery?
It is estimated that 2,477 people will be diagnosed with colorectal cancer in B.C. this year. About 1,000 will die from the disease.
The BC Cancer Agency, a part of the Provincial Health Services Authority, is committed to reducing the incidence of cancer, reducing the mortality from cancer, and improving the quality of life of those living with cancer. It provides a comprehensive cancer control program for the people of British Columbia by working with community partners to deliver a range of oncology services, including prevention, early detection, diagnosis and treatment, research, education, supportive care, rehabilitation and palliative care. The BC Cancer Foundation supports research and care enhancements at the BC Cancer Agency.
BC Cancer Agency Colorectal Cancer Information Day
Sponsored by BC Cancer Foundation
When: Saturday, February 25, 2006
8:30 a.m. registration and coffee
9:00 a.m. program start
Where: BC Cancer Agency Research Centre
675 West 10th Avenue, Vancouver, BC
Program:
Colorectal Cancer 101 Dr. Sharlene Gill
Screening/Prevention Dr. Barb Melosky
Patient Perspectives Dr. Alan Ezrin
Radiation Therapy Dr. John Hay
Surgery Dr. Terry Phang
Current & Future Research Dr. Hagen Kennecke
Complementary Therapies Dr. Robin O’Brien
Questions & Answers
Registration:
Free, but space is limited, so please call in advance to register: 604.877.6162. Lunch will be provided.
For more information:
Papinder Rehncy
604.877.6261
prehncy@bccancer.bc.ca
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