Donna Mills Tells Americans to 'Face the FAP'; Donna Mills Urges Thousands to Uncover Family Ties to Colorectal Cancer, Take Control of Health.

Health/Medical Writers

NEW YORK--(BW HealthWire)--March 19, 2002

The last thing a teenager or her parents wants to learn is that she has inherited a genetic trait that puts her at increased risk of developing colorectal cancer by middle age. This unthinkable situation hits home for Stephanie, who was diagnosed as a child with the rare and devastating condition known as familial adenomatous polyposis (FAP), in which hundreds to thousands of polyps develop throughout the colon and if left untreated, almost always develops into colorectal cancer. For nearly 26 years, Stephanie has undergone surgery, regular screenings and treatments to prevent the progression of FAP to colorectal cancer. This active preventive strategy, however, is not the norm for the nearly 150,000 Americans who will be diagnosed with much more common forms of colorectal cancer this year. Less than one-third of Americans over the age of 50 have undergone any type of recommended colorectal cancer screening.

Although she does not have FAP, actress Donna Mills knows about the hereditary link to colorectal cancer and the potential that she could be at increased risk for the disease, as her father developed colorectal cancer in his 40s. She's joining the National Colorectal Cancer Research Alliance (NCCRA), the Hereditary Colon Cancer Association (HCCA) and NewYork Presbyterian Hospital to encourage families across America to "Face the FAP" -- a national campaign to encourage frank discussion of the disease at the family level and to educate American families about personal and hereditary risks associated with colorectal cancer.

"Family ties to colorectal cancer matter. I'm sharing my personal experience to encourage families to speak to their loved ones about risk factors within their family trees," said Donna Mills. "I want to urge families to face the facts about risk factors and to take proactive steps that can help prevent this disease."

"Hereditary factors related to colorectal cancer have allowed us to learn a lot about the disease, its treatment and most importantly, its prevention," said Mark Bennett Pochapin, M.D., Director of Gastrointestinal Endoscopy and Associate Professor of Clinical Medicine at Weill Cornell Medical Center New York Presbyterian Hospital. "We've discovered methods of intervening to treat the growths that can become cancer. The arthritis medication CELEBREX is approved by the FDA to reduce the number of pre-cancerous growths in patients with FAP."

Americans are encouraged to strengthen their family ties and take action in the fight against colorectal cancer. Visit www.facethefap.com to answer eleven simple questions that will help assess your risk of developing colorectal cancer. For more information regarding colorectal cancer screening, risk factors, treatment and prevention; to learn more about Donna Mills' and Stephanie's stories; and, for information about Face the FAP local activities, call 1-866-FACEFAP or access www.facethefap.com.

"The benefits of colorectal screening are not debatable. It's proven to saves lives," said Alfred Neugut, M.D., Ph.D., Director of the Cancer Prevention Program and Professor of Medicine and Epidemiology at NewYork-Presbyterian-Columbia. "Effective and widespread use of colorectal cancer screening can prevent the disease by detecting and removing polyps that can lead to cancer. Whether you have a genetic link to colorectal cancer or not, screening and early detection help patients forgo battling advanced disease, when the odds become less favorable."

Patients who have a known allergic reaction to CELEBREX (celecoxib), certain sulfa drugs called sulfonamides, aspirin or non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) should not use CELEBREX. As with all NSAIDS, serious gastrointestinal (GI) tract ulcerations can occur without warning symptoms. Physicians and patients should remain alert to signs and symptoms of GI bleeding. In the FAP trial, common side effects were diarrhea and dyspepsia. CELEBREX has not been shown to reduce the risk of GI cancer or the need for any FAP-related surgeries; therefore, usual endoscopic surveillance and surgery schedules should not be altered.

About NCCRA

The NCCRA is dedicated to the eradication of colon cancer by harnessing the power of celebrity to promote education, fundraising, research and early medical screening. The NCCRA was co-founded by NBC TODAY show co-anchor Katie Couric (whose husband died of colorectal cancer), nationally-known cancer fund raiser Lilly Tartikoff, and the Entertainment Industry Foundation, a California-based non-profit organization.

About HCCA

The mission of the HCCA is the prevention of colon cancer caused by the inherited syndromes of colon cancer including: Familial Adenomatous Polyposis (FAP), Gardner syndrome, Juvenile Familial Polyposis, Hereditary Non Polyposis Colorectal Cancer (HNPCC), Attenuated Adenomatous Polyposis Coli (AAPC) and Peutz-Jeghers Syndrome. HCCA promotes public awareness and education concerning these syndromes to further the understanding of the diseases and to assure appropriate prevention and treatment information is made available to health professionals, scientists, and affected individuals and families.

About New York Presbyterian

NewYork Presbyterian Hospital is a 2,369-bed academic medical center created from the merger between The New York Hospital and The Presbyterian Hospital. It provides state-of-the-art inpatient, ambulatory, and preventive care in all areas of medicine at five major centers: New York Weill Cornell Medical Center, Columbia Presbyterian Medical Center, Children's Hospital of New York, The Allen Pavilion, and the Westchester Division. One of the largest and most comprehensive health-care institutions in the world, the Hospital is committed to excellence in patient care, research, education, and community service.

The NewYork Presbyterian Healthcare System -- which includes acute-care and community hospitals, long-term care facilities, home-health agencies, ambulatory sites, and specialty institutions -- ensures high-quality, cost-effective, and conveniently accessible care to communities throughout the tri-state metropolitan region. The System serves over 20 percent of the patients in the New York Metropolitan area. The Hospital has academic affiliations with two of the country's leading medical colleges: Joan and Sanford I. Weill Medical College of Cornell University and Columbia University College of Physicians & Surgeons.

"Face the FAP" was supported by an educational grant from Pharmacia Oncology and Pfizer.