CORI's Community Outreach Program

February 26, 2011 Peace Apostolic Church

CORI is committed to reaching out to underserved communi-ties, where there is often a lack of high-quality cancer care. In lower-income areas, many people with cancer do not see an oncologist until it is too late for effective treatment.

CORI is working with the NAACP and the Cancer Support Community (formerly The Wellness Community) to address these health disparities. The organizations were awarded a grant from The Lia Fund to bring cancer information and screening to underserved neighborhoods in Los Angeles County.

The first outreach event was held February 26, 2011, at Peace Apostolic Church on South Figueroa Street in Carson. More than 100 community members gath-ered on a sunny Saturday morning to participate in the educational event. The church, which is led by Pastor Howard A. Swancy, has a primarily African-American congregation.

The speakers for the event were CORI's Dr. Ronald Hurst, Dr. Richard Essner, and Dr. Anton J. Bilchik. They were introduced by Tanya Jenkins, a volunteer for both CORI and the NAACP, and by Joyce Green, CORI's Director of Development.

Dr. Essner spoke first, discussing the advances that have been made in cancer detection in recent decades. He noted, "Thirty or forty years ago, we couldn't find cancer until it was too late." In the early days of CT (computerized tomography) scanning, a full body scan would take three hours. Now, it takes just 10 minutes, and radiation exposure is markedly reduced.

Dr. Essner outlined the different types of scans available, including CT, PET (positron emission tomography), and MRI (magnetic resonance imaging). He explained that different scans are used to detect different kinds of cancer. For example, MRI scans are especially useful for detecting breast cancer, and CT scans are effective at finding lung cancer.

Dr. Bilchik spoke about colon cancer, the second most common cause of cancer-related deaths in the U.S. He noted that colon cancer is not as big a killer in other parts of the world as it is here. "In Africa, colon cancer is not that common, because of their high-fiber, low-fat diet." He empha-sized the importance of early detection, pointing out that there are "more new drugs for colon cancer than for any other cancer."

Striking a hopeful note, he said that up to 75% of colon cancer cases are now cured by surgery alone and many of these surgeries can be performed laparoscopically, resulting in shorter recovery times.

Dr. Ronald Hurst then addressed the audience. (See article about Dr. Hurst in this newsletter.) He focused his presenta-tion on breast cancer. Observing that a woman has a one in eight chance of getting breast cancer during her lifetime, he explained how to self-screen for the disease. "It's important not to be afraid if you get a lump in your breast," he com-mented, noting that in recent years, the number of breast cancer cases has risen yet deaths have declined. The improved survival rate is the result of greater self-examination and better early diagnosis.

Dr. Hurst discussed the links between breast cancer and estrogen, the BRCA gene, and age. He also explained how a biopsy for breast cancer is performed, say-ing that there are different types of biop-sies depending on where a lump is found in the breast.

After a brief break, three female members of the church congregation spoke movingly about their own personal battles with cancer. One woman, a three-time cancer survivor, explained that her faith had helped her through the illnesses. Another woman said simply, "Cancer is not a death sentence." The women all volunteer for a "Praises in Pink" month at the church each October to promote breast cancer awareness among the congregation. The final element of the event was a question and answer session. Breast cancer expert Dr. Lindi Vanderwalde and nurse Joanne Stockwell joined Drs. Hurst, Essner, and Bilchik on the stage. They answered nearly two-dozen ques-tions from participants, on subjects including ovarian cancer, diet, cancer grading, prostate cancer, chemical expo-sure, thyroid cancer, and the relationship between stress and cancer.

The event ended after three full hours of cancer education and remarkably, nearly every audience member stayed for the entire program. Pastor Swancy closed the event by thanking the speakers and commending the audience members for their participation.