Colorectal cancer rates are 60 percent higher for American Indians than non-Indians

University of Minnesota gastroenterologist and Cancer Center member David Perdue, M.D., M.S.P.H. (left) participates in a small group discussion during the Dialogue for Action. Perdue is co-chair of the Dialogue for Action project in Minnesota, which focuses specifically on American Indian colorectal cancer disparities.

Minnesota Cancer Alliance news release:
ONAMIA, Minn. (Sept. 12, 2007) — A two-day meeting concluded yesterday to examine the unequal burden of colorectal cancer among American Indians. Tribal leaders from Minnesota's 11 tribes, health professionals, cancer survivors and community members met at Grand Casino Mille Lacs to discuss how they can work collectively to begin tackling this problem. The summit was the result of collaborations between tribal and urban American Indian elders and health providers, and cancer experts at the University of Minnesota, Mayo Clinic, Minnesota Department of Health, and the American Cancer Society.

Cancer Center Outreach and Education Director Marva Bohen, R.N., handed out beaded bracelets that remind you to get your colonoscopy.

"This [Dialogue for Action] was a monumental step in helping Minnesota's tribes begin thinking about strategies to work together to combat colorectal cancer in American Indian communities," says David Perdue, M.D., M.S.P.H., a gastroenterologist at the University of Minnesota Cancer Center and a member of the Chickasaw Nation of Oklahoma. "These communities face unique barriers to colorectal cancer screening, and have a higher prevalence of colorectal cancer risk factors. The result is that while rates are falling in other populations, they are increasing in Native communities."

According to the Minnesota Cancer Surveillance System, American Indian cancer incidence rates are about 60 percent higher compared to non-Indians. And it gets worse. The death rate continues to increase because a colorectal cancer diagnosis often comes when the cancer has significantly progressed. The word "cancer" itself carries an unwanted power that forces many to fear even discussing it. But Minnesota's tribal nations are acknowledging this and want to do something to change these perceptions.

"It is important for tribes to identify colorectal cancer not just as a disease that affects individuals, but as one that affects entire communities," says Lana White King, M.D., health director for the Mille Lacs Band of Ojibwe. "By working between tribes to ensure the wellness of our communities, we strengthen the future of our people."

Dialogue participants discussed how to work within tribes to break down financial and cultural barriers to screening, educate on the importance of screening, and dispel myths that colorectal cancer screening — particularly a colonoscopy — is a painful and embarrassing procedure.

A traditional drum ceremony opened the Dialogue for Action.

Seven-year colorectal cancer survivor Vivian Lawrence of the Red Lake Tribe shared her story to inspire others to get screened. "Colonoscopies are not nearly as bad as society makes them out to be," she says. "Taking the prep fluid is by far the worse part of the procedure."

As a result of the conference, priorities were agreed upon, including the need for tribal resolutions that make colorectal cancer screening a priority, the need to secure funding for screening exams, and the importance of community-based programs to educate the young and the old.

"The summit was everything we had hoped it would be," said DeAnna Finifrock, R.N., Comprehensive Cancer Control Director for the Fond du Lac Band of Lake Superior Chippewa and a member of the planning committee. "Indian people from across the state coming together to take on Indian cancer."

For more information, contact: David Perdue, M.D., M.S.P.H., Masonic Cancer Center, at perdu001@umn.edu or 612-327-0665.

The Minnesota Cancer Alliance is a coalition of health institutions (including Minnesota Department of Health and the University of Minnesota and Mayo Clinic cancer centers), community-based groups and volunteers that evolved from collaborative efforts to create Cancer Plan Minnesota. Founded in 2005, the Alliance was formed to work with statewide partners to implement the plan. For more information, visit www.mncanceralliance.org.