Colorectal Cancer Alliance

Prevention: March Forth to save 100,000 lives through awareness and prevention by 2029. Screening is the number one way you can reduce your risk for this unique cancer. While screening is the most important step you can take – it's not the only one. You can take charge of your health by knowing your family history and possible risk factors, eating a balanced diet, exercising, limiting alcohol use and not smoking. Together, this is a cancer we can do something about.

Patient Support: Increase the number of patients and families served annually to 750,000 by 2024. You're not alone – our patient support team is here to provide hope and support to you and your family, while connecting you to the latest information, expert resources and cutting-edge tools that you need to get through a cancer diagnosis.

Research: Commit $30 million to innovative and life-saving research by 2024. Our research agenda includes the following: advancing biomarker research, understanding why those under 50 are increasingly diagnosed with colon cancer, decreasing late-state diagnosis of high-risk populations, closing the referral gap for screening and diagnostic testing, and advancing long-term survivorship psychosocial concerns. We view patients, researchers, medical institutions and industry as pivotal allies for pursuing this mission.

The Colon Cancer Alliance hosts annual strategy sessions to plan the following year's goals and the plan for reaching these goals. Our strategy sessions include gathering data via surveys to constituents, focus groups.

Current strategies for our pillars are as follows:

Prevention – Our Screen Pillar, which includes our prevention and early detection efforts, are focused on raising awareness and navigating patients to the screening(s) that fits their risk level. We also support patients through screening completion, including removing barriers to access through digital and live patient navigation.
Whether it's providing financial assistance to support those in need of screening (co-pay, transportation, child care fees) to covering the cost of colonoscopies, we are saving lives via this program.

Patient and Family Support – Whether it’s a new diagnosis, a continuation of the treatment or survivorship journey, or a caregiver experience, the Alliance is here with trained experts, a national network of survivors and advocates, and a wealth of information to help. Through our vast network of peers or direct connection to a certified Patient and Family Support Navigator, the Alliance's Care Pillar provides everything from emotional support to financial assistance to medical journey support and a nation of allies.

Research – Accelerating science to save lives. The Alliance's Cure Pillar is making progress towards ending this disease in our lifetime through our own patient-focused research efforts, funding critical studies through the Chris4Life Research Program, advancing opportunities for patient input along the research continuum, and offering innovative tools to help patients navigate clinical trials and targeted treatment options. We fund research with both significant funding to established institutions and researchers, as well as smaller grants to young investigators on niche topics (biomarkers, young onset colorectal cancer, immunotherapy).

Prevention – We utilize our Run/Walk series that takes place in 26 locations across the United States to raise awareness of screening as well as providing direct funding to local screening program. Additionally, colorectal cancer awareness month (March) is where we amplify our message and taking action for getting screened.

Patient and Family Support – Our team of Patient and Family Support staff provide these services directly and as the demand for services increase, we will expand our team to meet the need of the patient and caregiver community.

Research – Through partnership with our Medical Scientific Advisory Board as well as other institutions throughout the country help us identify these gaps and most critical areas in need of funding.

In 2020, the Colorectal Cancer Alliance accomplished the following:
Prevention – The Alliance launched a comprehensive marketing campaign targeted communities at highest risk for CRC in cities including the District of Columbia, Philadelphia, Houston, Atlanta, and Phoenix. The campaign alerted the public to the continued risk of CRC and the necessity of screening. The Alliance also expanded its patient navigation programs, including developing a digital patient navigation platform that guides individuals to personalized screening recommendations and provides access to additional support via its live patient and family support navigators. The combined effort reached hundreds of thousands of people across the United States.

Patient and Family Support – The Alliance provided

Research – The Alliance awarded two innovative research projects totaling $500,000; received 61 applications for Chris4Life Research Program funding; partnered with 75 physicians and scientists; spent 1K+ gaining insights from our patient community; and presented 10 Alliance research abstracts at conferences.

Areas still to be addressed:
Prevention – Reaching more underserved populations through local partnerships and targeted awareness campaigns addressing the underserved populations.
Patient and Family Support – With more than one million colon cancer patients and survivors living in the United States, we have a far way to go to reach the majority of patients and caregivers impacted by the disease.
Research – Identifying the most effective funding mechanism (fewer larger grants vs. more smaller grants) to determine the biggest impact with available funds.