Katie Couric confronts colon cancer.

Our nonprofit society recently honored Katie Couric's heroism by presenting her with its highest distinction--the Benjamin Franklin Literary & Medical Society Award--for her courageous battle against colon cancer.

The following are excerpts of our interview with Ms. Couric.

Q: Researchers recently reported on the "Couric effect"--a 20 percent increase in the number of people who underwent colonoscopies--after your televised colonscopy on the Today show. Did you realize you could have such a tremendous public health impact?

A: Here's what we knew at the outset. Colon cancer is curable 90 percent of the time if detected early; screening is critical. Colonoscopy is a procedure that can save lives, but "extreme fear factor" sums up how many people felt about colonoscopies. By providing an "up close and personal" account of my colonoscopy, they could see first-hand that it's not that bad.

Shortly after the segment aired, we began to receive letters from viewers who decided to get tested. Many had precancerous or cancerous polyps removed; others were diagnosed with full-blown colon cancer and had surgery and were undergoing chemotherapy. Receiving that feedback has been incredibly gratifying, but there's still a lot to do on the awareness front.

Q: You lost your husband, Jay Monahan, to colon cancer in 1998 when he was only 42. Two years later, you established the National Colorectal Cancer Research Alliance (NCCRA), under the auspices of the Entertainment Industry Foundation (EIF). What are you trying to accomplish?

A: Jay's disease had progressed to an advanced stage by the time it was detected. His death was devastating. I wanted to share what I had learned about colon cancer in the hope of sparing other families from losing a loved one so unnecessarily and so prematurely.

EIF's NCCRA has two fundamental goals. The first is to educate people about this disease, so they'll talk to their doctors about screening. The second goal is to raise desperately needed funding for new prevention strategies, screening techniques, treatment options, and, ultimately, a cure.

Q: One study funded by the NCCRA involved relatives of people who had had colon cancer or precancerous polyps. What general role does family history play in the disease?

A: One important fact is that only 15 to 20 percent of colon cancer cases involve people with family history, which means that in 80 to 85 percent of all cases, there are no family ties to the disease. Readers shouldn't disregard screening just because their families have not yet been affected. Family history might begin with you.