This year’s annual fundraising walk will be held next weekend at Memorial Field. Proceeds from the walk will go towards cancer research as well as supporting breast cancer patients, survivors and caregivers.
The event will take place on Oct. 17 at Memorial Field, 70 S. Fruit St., Concord.
Registration begins at 11 a.m. and the walk begins at 1 p.m.
This year, the Making Strides walks that used to be held statewide, including Nashua, North Conway, Manchester and the Lakes Region, will come together in Concord for one New Hampshire event.
With ten days left until the event, teams have raised $272,100 of the $300,000 goal.
For more information or to make a donation, visit bit.ly/MakingStridesNH.
(The Concord Monitor is among the sponsors of the walk.)
The coronavirus pandemic fundamentally changed the way people received their health care. Preventative healthcare, including breast cancer screening, are one of the areas upended by COVID-19
Researchers at the U.S. National Cancer Institute raised concerns in the Summer of 2020, as the number of cancer diagnoses in the U.S. plummeted. Norman Sharpless, the director of the NCI said he worried fear of COVID-19 dissuaded people from getting screened for cancer. The result , he feared, would be that tens of thousands of people would not get a diagnosis or begin treatment until the disease had progressed and their prognoses was worse.
“There can be no doubt that the COVID-19 pandemic is causing delayed diagnosis and suboptimal care for people with cancer,” he wrote. “Ignoring life-threatening non–COVID-19 conditions such as cancer for too long may turn one public health crisis into many others.”
Find breast cancer screening recommendations in the table.
Dartmouth-Hitchcock researchers received $32.7 million in funding to conduct a large study evaluating whether colorectal cancer can be effectively detected using stool-based testing, a more convenient alternative to colonoscopies.
The funding, awarded by the Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute (PCORI), will be used to compare colonoscopy and stool-based testing for the prevention of colorectal cancer in adults 70 and older with prior colon growths.
The research team, led by Dr. Audrey Calderwood, will also collect data on patients’ satisfaction with and trust in testing, cancer worry, perceived cancer susceptibility and emotional benefits of surveillance.
“Results will bring meaningful change in the delivery of colorectal cancer prevention for older adults with a history of colon polyps by offering a safe and convenient alternative to colonoscopy,” Calderwood said
This study was selected for funding through a PCORI initiative to support large-scale, high-impact comparative effectiveness research trials in a multi-phase format allowing for testing and refinement of the study approach.
The study was selected through a competitive review process in which patients, caregivers and scientists evaluated proposals. PCORI is an independent, nonprofit authorized by Congress in 2010 that aims to fund research that provides patients with the evidence-based information needed to make better-informed healthcare decisions.
“The study has the potential to fill an important evidence gap relevant to a range of health care decision-makers and help them better assess their care options,” said PCORI Executive Director Dr. Nakela Cook.