Officials commend Kinney Drugs for colorectal cancer screening program

SYRACUSE, N.Y. The New York State Department of Health Cancer Services Program has recognized Kinney Drugs for its colorectal cancer outreach and screening events.

According to the Cancer Services Program, Kinney Drugs was selected for an Innovative Project/Event Award for being a strong example of what community collaboration can and should be.

Earlier this year, the pharmacy retailer invited the Cancer Services Program partnerships into 61 Kinney Drugs locations to set up clinics for colorectal cancer outreach and recruitment opportunities. Kinney Drugs provided the facility, as well as advertising for outreach events, that allowed the Cancer Services Program partnerships to distribute colorectal cancer screening tests to men and women over the age of 50 who have no insurance or insurance that does not cover colorectal screenings.

In the past two years in partnering with the program, 13 test results have come back positive. A referral program is in place for such results.

Colorectal cancer is the third leading cause of cancer death in the United States in men and women, according to the American Cancer Society. The relative five-year survival is 90 percent for colorectal cancer patients diagnosed at an early, localized stage, but only 39 percent of cases are diagnosed at this stage.

It is one of the few cancers that can be prevented through screening because precancerous polyps, from which colon cancers often develop, can be identified and removed.

The ACS recommends women and men of average risk begin screenings at age 50.

Of the nearly 50,000 people expected to die of colorectal cancers in 2008, it is estimated that appropriate testing could save more than half.