Outreach & Education

The GW Cancer Institute offers programs that educate the general community and health care professionals about the prevention, early detection and treatment of cancer. The Cancer Institute also serves as an information and referral source to inform cancer survivors on local, regional, and national support groups/services available to serve specific cancer needs of DC area residents.

The GW Cancer Institute has implemented, as part of our Community Education, to take our programs to “where the people are”. Our staff, trained in medicine, nursing, social work, cancer genetics, and public health is available to go out to community centers, schools and universities, church groups, and other places where people congregate.

The GW Cancer Institute is also able to provide cancer education and limited cancer screening at the workplace. Healthy and informed employees add up to a productive and successful work force. Our outreach staff can work with you to communicate culturally-focused and user-friendly cancer information.

Who We Are and What We Do

The GW Cancer Institute's (GWCI) Division of Cancer Prevention and Community Health is committed to providing the residents of the Washington DC metropolitan area with high quality educational programming and effective outreach for our community. We instruct health professionals and the general community about the prevention, early detection and treatment of cancer. Our staff, trained in medicine, nursing, social work, cancer genetics, and public health, is dedicated to working in the community and providing needed services through relationships with community centers, schools and universities, church groups and other trusted sources.

Statistics (source American Cancer Society)

More than 1.4 million Americans are diagnosed with cancer each year, and cancer is now the leading cause of death for people under the age of 85 (ACS 2008). Each day in the US nearly 4,000 people are diagnosed with cancer (ACS 2008). Sadly, the District of Columbia is ranted highest in overall cancer mortality in the nation. While there are many types of cancer, the GWCI focuses on the leading cancers with which we can most effectively conduct education and outreach and that affects our area residents at an increased rate. These are colorectal, prostate and breast cancers.

Excluding skin cancers, colorectal cancer is the third most common cancer diagnosed in both men and women in the United States (ACS 2007). Overall, the lifetime risk in men for developing colorectal cancer is about one in 19 and for women it is one in 20. The good news is that the death rate from this cancer has been on the decline in both men and women for more than 20 years. Part of this can be contributed to screening and early detection.

Other than skin cancer, prostate cancer is the most common cancer in American Men. About one man in six will be diagnosed with prostate cancer during his lifetime. More than two million men in the United States who have been diagnosed with cancer at some point are still alive today.

Breast cancer is the most common cancer among women, except for skin cancer. Overall, the change of a woman developing invasive breast cancers during some point in her life is a little less than one in eight. Death rates from breast cancer have been declining since about 1990, with larger decreases in women younger than 50. This decline is probably due to earlier detection through screening and increased awareness, as well as improved treatment.

Current programs that the Division of Cancer Prevention and Community Health are working on:

Feature Program: Youth Tobacco Prevention & Control

Mobile Campaign for Breast Health

With support from the Avon Foundation, the GWCI is providing DC residents in the Anacostia area with the Mobile Campaign for Breast Health, a program comprised of mobile mammography screenings, mobile text message breast self examination reminders, House Call breast health education discussions, and patient navigation assistance.

Mobile Mammography Screenings- The Mobile Mammography Program began in 1996 with a grant from the Cancer Research Foundation of America. Its goal is to make early detection of breast cancer readily available to the women of the Washington metropolitan area. Dedicated to providing area women with education and support, this self-contained mobile unit travels to corporate and community sites in the DC metropolitan area, offering one-stop screening performed in a comfortable, convenient environment. The program is committed to making this service available to every woman, regardless of her ability to pay. The Mammovan is both handicapped- and wheelchair-accessible. It is accredited by the American College of Radiology and is certified by the FDA to perform screening mammograms. The Mobile Mammography Program meets all the requirements of the Mammography Quality Standards Act (MQSA) and it follows a strict quality control philosophy: all mammograms are interpreted by the dedicated board-certified radiologists in the Breast Care and Breast Imaging Centers. The Mammovan travels to Anacostia once a month to conduct day long clinics for this program.

Mobile Text Message Breast Self Exam Reminders- Women who enroll in this program will have the opportunity to take a proactive approach to normalizing attention to their breast health. Ninety percent of Americans carry a cell phone, making this an effective tool for health promotion. As part of this program, women will receive a text message to remind them to complete their monthly breast self examination. Women will respond to whether they have completed the exam or if they noticed an abnormality. If an abnormality is detected, the woman will be contacted by the staff and will receive help coordinating follow up and appointment scheduling.

House Call Breast Health Education Discussions- House Calls are a culturally sensitive series of informational discussion groups that allow women to freely talk and ask questions about their breast health. This provides a comfortable atmosphere where women can share their experiences and learn from each other.

Patient Navigation- The patient navigation program is designed to help identify the appropriate resources for patients. The primary role of the patient navigator is to decrease the time frame between a suspicious finding and diagnostic resolution. The patient navigator will work with enrolled patients to facilitate the scheduling of a mammography, assessing clinical care, and indentifying financial assistance to fund treatment if needed. There will be continuity of care for enrolled patients which extends beyond screening. Patient navigators follow women through the education, screening, biopsy, diagnosis, treatment, and recovery process.

For more information about Cancer Prevention and Community Health programs please contact Chrissy Cianflone at 202-994-2062 or canccc@gwumc.edu

If you would like to work with The GW Cancer Institute on a cancer health event at your organization:

Contact Christina Cianflone, Director, Division of Cancer Prevention and Community Health at 202-994-2062 or e-mail her at canccc@gwumc.edu

Ideas for community events include, but are not limited to:

• Health Fairs
• Cancer Educational Series at Worksites, Churches, & Community Centers Congregational Cancer Educational Series for the Whole Family Reunions
• Educational Series for Women Coping with Cancer in the Family…etc.

Cancer Screening

The purpose of cancer screening is to find a pre-cancerous condition or a cancer at its earliest stages. Finding a pre-cancer or an early stage cancer increases the likelihood of cure. Cancer screening should be an important component of your regularly scheduled check-ups with your primary care physician. The following guidelines from the American Cancer Society are recommended for individuals not experiencing any symptoms of cancer. If you have symptoms, you may need special diagnostic testing. Therefore, it is important to discuss your symptoms with your primary care provider as soon as possible.

Community Resources

Colorectal Cancer Screening- Howard University and Georgetown Hospital have teamed up to offer free colonoscopies to DC residents aged 50 and older who have not had a recent colonoscopy. To make an appointment, please call:

202-865-4471 for Howard University's DC Screen for Life Program
202-469-2338 for Georgetown University's DC Screen for Life Program

Prostate Cancer Screening- George Washington's MFA screening program
Call for an appointment: 202-741-3106.
Screenings typically take place on Fridays from 8:30am – 11:00am.

Howard University Cancer Center offers free screening every 3rd Wednesday of the month from 1:00-3:00. Call 202-806-5539 to make an appointment for your free screening.

Breast Cancer Screening- The George Washington Mammovan offers free mammograms to insured and uninsured women from DC, MD, and VA. The eligibility requirements are as follows:

• No insurance is required; however patients MUST have a primary care physician so that there is medical home where the results can be sent.
• Patients can NOT have received a mammogram within the past year.
• Patients who have had a biopsy resulting in a positive diagnosis for breast cancer are NOT eligible.
• Patients who have had negative biopsies in the past are eligible, unless they had their last mammogram less than a year ago.

If you are interested in receiving a free mammogram through the GW Mammovan, and you meet the eligibility requirements listed above, please call 202-741-3252 to schedule your appointment. If you would like to get a mammogram through the GW Mammovan, but you do not have a primary care doctor, or you do not meet the other eligibility requirements, please call Casandra Miller, a Patient Navigator, at 202-994-0650. She will help you look for resources so that you can access the healthcare services that you need.

Tobacco Prevention - Minority Health - Tobacco is responsible for far more deaths annually in the LGBT community than AIDS or suicide or hate crimes. Because of the disproportionate impact on LGBT youth and African Americans, tobacco use is truly a social justice issue.

Mautner Project: - The National Lesbian Health Organization located in Washington DC is organizing a coalition of groups and individuals, SmokeLess LGBT DC, to raise awareness among the LGBT community, especially in the District of Columbia, about tobacco's health impact: Click here for more information and for action steps, or go to http://mautnerproject.org/education/tobacco.cfm.

American Cancer Society Screening Guidelines for Asymptomatic Individuals :

• Cancer-Related Check-up

A cancer-related check-up is recommended every 3 years for people aged 20-39 and annually after age 40. This exam should include examinations for cancers of the thyroid, oral cavity, skin, lymph nodes, testes, and ovaries, as well as health counseling about tobacco, sun exposure, diet, nutrition, risk factors, sexual practices, and environmental and occupational exposures.

• Breast

Breast Self-Exam: Age 20 and over, monthly. Breast Exam by healthcare provider: 20-39, once every 3 years. 40 and older, once a year. Mammogram: Yearly beginning at age 40.

• Colon & Rectum

Colon & Rectum: Beginning at age 50, fecal occult blood test every year and a flexible sigmoidoscopy and digital rectal exam every 5 years or Colonoscopy and digital rectal exam every 10 years or Double contrast barium enema and digital rectal exam every 5 to 10 years.

• Prostate

Prostate specific antigen (PSA) blood test and digital rectal exam (DRE) may be offered annually, beginning at age 50.

• Uterus

Cervix : Pap smears and pelvic examinations should begin about three years after a woman becomes sexually active but no later than 21 years of age. After 21, screening should be done every year. At or after age 30, women who have had three normal tests results in a row may discuss less frequent screening tests with their healthcare provider. Endometrium : Women at high risk for uterine cancer should have a sample of endometrial tissue examined when menopause begins.

Wellness Tips

A risk factor may increase your chance of developing certain types of cancer. Most people with risk factors do not develop cancer, and many people who develop cancer have no known risk factors. However, it makes good sense to decrease your risk whenever possible by making the recommended lifestyle changes. Whether or not you have any risk factors, it is important to always have regular cancer checkups and screening.

Although there is no sure way to prevent cancer, healthy lifestyle habits are key to lowering your risk of cancer.

Steps to Reduce Your Risk of Cancer:

• Don't smoke or chew tobacco. Smoking is the biggest cancer risk. Second-hand smoke also increases your risk.
• Get regular cancer-related checkups
• Maintain an ideal weight. Cut down on high-fat foods such as butter, margarine, fried foods, and rich desserts.
• Eat more high-fiber foods: whole grains, pastas, cereals, and beans.
• Eat at least five servings of a variety of vegetables and fruits every day.
• Limit how much meat you eat. Bake, broil, or braise lean cuts of meat, skinned chicken or turkey, and fish. Cut down on smoked and salt-cured meat like ham, bacon, and hot dogs.
• Limit your sun exposure. Use screen of SPF 30 or higher that blocks both UVA and UVB rays. Wear protective clothing and avoid the sun between 10 a.m. and 4 pm .
• Get daily exercise. Even 15 minutes a day can make a difference. Choose any type of exercise you enjoy.
• Limit alcohol intake to one or two drinks per day. Your cancer risk increases further when you combine heavy drinking with smoking.
• If you work with or near harmful chemicals or fibers, wear protective clothing and follow directions carefully. Learn emergency procedures.
• Protect yourself from sexually transmitted diseases.

You are one text message away from taking charge of your health!!....Text4BSE

Text BSE to 64274 to Enroll

Text4BSE is a text message reminder program from the GW Cancer Institute and The Avon Foundation for Women. Upon enrollment in the program, participants receive regular text message reminders of their cell phones to perform breast self exams. This tool is designed to help women learn about their breasts and how they normally look and feel. It is important for women to know their bodies and report any changes to their provider. Take charge of your health and enroll now!