Pope Launches Campaign to Raise Awareness of Colorectal Cancer

Pope John Paul II, who suffered from a precursor of colorectal cancer a decade ago, launched the first global campaign to raise awareness of colorectal cancer.

The Pontiff, in a speech to the Global Campaign for the Prevention of Digestive Cancers, told young surgeons that they must be better prepared to deal with the problems of digestive cancers.

The Pope's remarks came as leading doctors from 50 countries warned that in the next ten years digestive cancers would overtake coronary heart disease as the world's leading killer.

The campaign has set the goal of reducing both the incidence of colorectal cancer and the mortality rate by 50 percent by 2010.

Colorectal cancer is the most prevalent form of the digestive cancers and the second most common cause of cancer deaths after lung cancer.

Other sources: Press Association, the Vatican