Foundations
Here's a look at documents from U.S. foundations
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Overwhelming Majority of Wyoming Wells Fargo Bank Branch Employees Back Petition for Vote to Remove CWA Union Bosses
SPRINGFIELD, Virginia, March 25 -- The National Right to Work Legal Defense Foundation posted the following news release:
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Overwhelming Majority of Wyoming Wells Fargo Bank Branch Employees Back Petition for Vote to Remove CWA Union Bosses
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Wells Fargo employees across the country moving to terminate union affiliation
Casper, WY (March 25, 2026) - Employees at Wells Fargo's Casper branch have filed a petition with the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) seeking a "decertification" election to remove the Communications Workers of America (CWA) union bosses from their workplace. The
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SPRINGFIELD, Virginia, March 25 -- The National Right to Work Legal Defense Foundation posted the following news release:
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Overwhelming Majority of Wyoming Wells Fargo Bank Branch Employees Back Petition for Vote to Remove CWA Union Bosses
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Wells Fargo employees across the country moving to terminate union affiliation
Casper, WY (March 25, 2026) - Employees at Wells Fargo's Casper branch have filed a petition with the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) seeking a "decertification" election to remove the Communications Workers of America (CWA) union bosses from their workplace. Theworkers' efforts are spearheaded by Megan Wright, who filed the petition with free legal aid from the National Right to Work Foundation.
The NLRB is the federal agency responsible for enforcing federal labor law, a task that includes administering elections to install (or "certify") and remove (or "decertify") unions. Wright's petition was signed by the vast majority of her Wells Fargo coworkers, easily surpassing the required threshold of signatures needed for the NLRB to schedule a decertification vote.
The workers' petition requests the NLRB schedule a secret ballot election among all full-time and regular part-time tellers, personal bankers, relationship bankers, and branch operations coordinators employed by Wells Fargo at a Casper, WY branch. The workers will vote on whether to remove the so-called "Wells Fargo Workers United" union (an affiliate of the CWA union).
"CWA union officials have not made our workplace better and we are confident we would be better off without them," stated Wright. "At this point we simply want an election so we can vote to take back our branch."
Wyoming is one of the 26 states with Right to Work protections that safeguard workers from being forced to pay union dues or fees under threat of termination. However, even under Right to Work, union bosses can impose monopoly bargaining control over all employees in a workplace, including those who are opposed to the union's representation. A successful decertification would end union officials' monopoly bargaining powers.
The Casper, WY workers' decertification effort comes almost a week after the Foundation assisted Wells Fargo employees in Spring Hill, FL, file a petition to remove CWA from their branch. The NLRB has scheduled the Spring Hill election for March 30. In yet another decertification effort, last week Wells Fargo employees in Apex, NC, overwhelmingly voted to remove the CWA union from their branch.
"Despite the headlines generated by CWA's campaign to gain control over Wells Fargo employees, it is increasingly becoming clear to rank-and-file bank employees that they are better off without the CWA's so-called 'representation,'" commented National Right to Work Foundation President Mark Mix. "The Foundation is proud to be a resource for Ms. Wright and other Wells Fargo employees seeking to exercise their right to free themselves from unwanted unions.
"These Wells Fargo employees are just the latest in an ongoing trend, with NLRB statistics showing a nearly 40% rise in filed decertification petitions over the past five years," Mix added.
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The National Right to Work Legal Defense Foundation is a nonprofit, charitable organization providing free legal aid to employees whose human or civil rights have been violated by compulsory unionism abuses. The Foundation, which can be contacted toll-free at 1-800-336-3600, assists thousands of employees in about 200 cases nationwide per year.
Posted on Mar 25, 2026 in News Releases
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Original text here: https://www.nrtw.org/news/wells-fargo-decert-wy-03252026/
High levels of carcinogen discovered in European gas supply
LONDON, England, March 25 -- Wellcome, a charitable foundation, posted the following news release:
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High levels of carcinogen discovered in European gas supply
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High levels of the carcinogen benzene have been discovered in the domestic gas supply for multiple Western European cities by US researchers.
With low level gas leaks common in homes, "hazardous leaks are likely underreported in Europe" concluded a peer-reviewed paper by researchers at PSE Healthy Energy, an energy science and policy research institute, and the Stanford Doerr School of Sustainability. The paper was published
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LONDON, England, March 25 -- Wellcome, a charitable foundation, posted the following news release:
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High levels of carcinogen discovered in European gas supply
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High levels of the carcinogen benzene have been discovered in the domestic gas supply for multiple Western European cities by US researchers.
With low level gas leaks common in homes, "hazardous leaks are likely underreported in Europe" concluded a peer-reviewed paper by researchers at PSE Healthy Energy, an energy science and policy research institute, and the Stanford Doerr School of Sustainability. The paper was publishedtoday in the journal Environmental Research Letters.
Benzene was found in all 72 domestic gas samples collected by the US researchers in homes in the UK, the Netherlands and Italy. The substance occurs naturally in oil and gas fields, has no safe exposure level according to the World Health Organization and is associated with leukaemia and other long-term adverse health effects and diseases. The researchers found that UK gas samples had 37 times more benzene than in typical North American gas, on average, while Dutch samples had 66.5 times more. Gas in London was found to contain 64x and Amsterdam 73x the benzene concentration of typical North American gas, on average, while Milan, the only Italian city studied, had 8.5 times more [1].
The researchers also checked homes for gas leaks that occur chronically, when cookers were switched off. Gas leaks were found in approximately 40% of the kitchens visited in the three countries. Gas stove leak data and benzene concentrations in gas were combined in household modelling to estimate annual exposure. The researchers conservatively [2] calculated that 9% of homes visited in the UK, Netherlands and Italy had leaks large enough to exceed a UK and EU exposure limit for benzene, while 14% exceed the more strict World Health Organization lifetime (WHO) guidance level [3].
Extrapolating to a population level in conservative calculations outside the research paper [4], hundreds of thousands of people, mostly in the UK and the Netherlands where benzene readings were higher, are likely exposed above the regulatory limit, the researchers estimated. Modelled benzene exposure from the larger leaks measured in these two countries is worse than living with a smoker, in terms of benzene exposure alone.
The researchers also tested gas for sulfur-based odourants, added by gas companies to help people detect leaks and avoid explosions. In all cases outside Italy, odourant levels were too low to alert most people to leaks large enough to lift concentrations of benzene in indoor air above WHO and regulatory limits. Exposure could rise nine times over the national limit in the UK (nearly 40x in London) and nearly five times the EU limit in the Netherlands (nearly 15x in Amsterdam) before a gas leak could be smelled at the average odour level measured in gas, the researchers calculated.
PSE air quality scientist and lead author of the study, Tamara Sparks, PhD, said: "We were surprised by how high the benzene levels were compared to what we've seen in our previous studies. Given these high concentrations, a lot of people are likely being chronically exposed to benzene without knowing it. We have little clarity on why gas leaks occur in some homes and not others, making this benzene hazard essentially a lottery. This has so far flown under the public's radar, but we hope that, by bringing attention to it, action can be taken to reduce this threat. People can reduce their personal risk by opening windows to get more fresh air, but there's only so much an individual can do when this gas is piped into their home."
The research is the first to reveal the widespread presence and risk of benzene in European home gas supplies [5] and follows a similar discovery in North America. It is part of PSE's Methane + Health Initiative, which assesses air pollution and health risks from known methane sources. PSE and Stanford researchers previously established the rate benzene is created as cookers burn fossil gas, the direct health implications, as well as wider leak concerns.
Co-author and Professor of Earth system science at Stanford Doerr School of Sustainability, Rob Jackson, PhD, said: "We're just learning how much benzene enters our homes by burning gas indoors. Now we find a second source of dangerous toxins entering our home air. This finding should trouble us all."
Today's paper also modelled a spike in benzene following a large UK pipeline leak in 2023. At its peak, this lifted concentrations of the carcinogen four times beyond an EU 8 hour worker safety limit up to 50 metres downwind, the modelling found, with lower levels predicted as far as 10 kilometres downwind, potentially exposing tens of thousands of people in Cheltenham and Bishops's Cleeve.
PSE executive director Seth Shonkoff, PhD, MPH said: "The levels of benzene we found in the distribution system gas in the UK and the Netherlands are frankly eye-popping. That means even a small leak can pose significant health risks quickly indoors and outdoors. Whether it's leaking from a pipeline or a stove in someone's kitchen, it's all the same gas, and health risk travels with it."
Research funding came from the European Climate Foundation and the Wellcome Trust.
Wellcome Trust head of mitigation, Rachel Huxley, PhD, said: "We expect our homes to be the safest place we spend our time. This study shows that everyday use of gas can put people at unnecessary health risks. Because gas is primarily methane - a powerful super pollutant - even small leaks, expose communities to harmful air pollutants and worsen climate change. The findings underscore the significant health impacts from indoor air pollution and air toxics such as Benzene. This study shows the importance of science in understanding risks to our health, and in helping governments and businesses to support policies that reduce pollution and promote healthy homes and communities."
Having established a large, previously unrecognized benzene exposure pathway in Europe, today's study concluded that safeguarding the public from benzene exposure in Europe will require grappling with our relationship with natural gas.
Notes to editors
The paper will be published in Environmental Research Letters here: https://doi.org/10.1088/1748-9326/ae499f while a summary and links to the paper will be available at PSE's website here: www.psehealthyenergy.org/work/gas-stove-benzene-emissions-europe
[1] See today's paper for the full methodology. The collected samples were analysed under contract by the ISO 17025 accredited lab Tera Environnement. Comparisons with North American gas are based on recent research by PSE and Stanford.
[2] Exposure calculations were kept conservative. Further to this, potential additional benzene exposure from when cookers were in active use were excluded, as were potential leaks from other gas appliances in homes.
[3] The WHO considers benzene a "major public health concern" for which "no safe level of exposure can be recommended", though it has set guidance for lifetime exposure, above which "excess" cancer cases can be expected. Governments ( EU, UK ) have set weaker limits for annual average exposure outside. While regulators have been tightening outdoor exposure limits, the study shows that indoor exposure also creates significant health risks. Benzene was the most toxic and prevalent of six hazardous pollutants identified by the researchers.
[4] The extrapolation of the modelled over-exposure rate to a population level is stated as an order of magnitude, rather than a precise figure, to reflect the uncertainties involved. It assumes that the range of observed leaks in homes is representative of those found in the larger population and is paired with statistics on gas usage and an estimate of typical window-opening behaviour for ventilation. Follow up research is needed to reach precision.
[5] This is the first study to sample gas for benzene in European homes, the first to measure gas leaks in those homes and the first to model benzene exposure from these sources in indoor and outdoor air.
About PSE Healthy Energy
PSE Healthy Energy is a scientific research institute generating energy and climate solutions that protect public health and the environment. PSE provides expertise in public health, environmental science, and engineering and brings science to energy policy through actionable research, communications, and advising.
About Wellcome
Wellcome supports science to solve the urgent health challenges facing everyone. We support discovery research into life, health and wellbeing, and we're taking on three worldwide health challenges: mental health, infectious disease and climate and health.
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Original text here: https://wellcome.org/insights/articles/high-levels-carcinogen-discovered-european-gas-supply
Conservation Law Foundation: Win in the Fight Against Gas Leaks in Boston and Chelsea
BOSTON, Massachusetts, March 25 (TNSrpt) -- Conservation Law Foundation issued the following news release:
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A Win in the Fight Against Gas Leaks in Boston and Chelsea
A judge has recommended that a lawsuit against National Grid should move forward. The case was brought by Conservation Law Foundation (CLF), local green groups, and city residents over the company's failure to prevent methane gas leaks that pose explosive dangers, kill trees, and cost residents and businesses money.
"These ongoing gas leaks put communities in danger, intensify extreme heat, and suffocate the trees that our
... Show Full Article
BOSTON, Massachusetts, March 25 (TNSrpt) -- Conservation Law Foundation issued the following news release:
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A Win in the Fight Against Gas Leaks in Boston and Chelsea
A judge has recommended that a lawsuit against National Grid should move forward. The case was brought by Conservation Law Foundation (CLF), local green groups, and city residents over the company's failure to prevent methane gas leaks that pose explosive dangers, kill trees, and cost residents and businesses money.
"These ongoing gas leaks put communities in danger, intensify extreme heat, and suffocate the trees that ourneighborhoods depend on," said Heather Govern, CLF's vice president for clean air and water. "This court's report and recommendation brings us one step closer to more accountability for gas companies and meaningful protections for the people most affected."
A street survey by CLF showed National Grid pipelines leaking harmful levels of methane, which creates explosion hazards in dense neighborhoods, kills trees, and worsens climate change.
Methane levels from gas leaks were dangerously high in Chelsea and the Boston neighborhoods of Chinatown, Dorchester, East Boston, Jamaica Plain, Mattapan, Roslindale, Roxbury, South End, and along the Commonwealth Avenue Mall in Back Bay - and many of these neighborhoods are already exposed to high levels of pollution and have limited access to trees and green space.
CLF found more than 200 public shade trees dead or dying near leaking gas pipelines where high levels of methane were found to be in the soil around the trees. And the loss of public shade trees in urban neighborhoods creates more dangerous heat islands and makes air pollution worse as temperatures rise this summer.
CLF's survey also found 15 locations where leaks are serious enough to pose threats of fire and explosion and alerted National Grid to the danger spots.
The pipeline system is aging with hundreds of new explosive-level leaks popping up every quarter, sometimes in the same location where repairs were previously made, according to National Grid's own data. The company spends hundreds of millions of dollars each year to replace pipelines that continue to leak.
The magistrate judge's recommendation now heads to the district court judge, which will decide whether to adopt the ruling or not.
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REPORT: https://www.clf.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/041-03-25-2026-Report-and-Recommendation-re-Defs-Motion-to-Dismiss.pdf
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Original text here: https://www.clf.org/newsroom/a-win-in-the-fight-against-gas-leaks-in-boston-and-chelsea/
Breakthrough T1D Supports Bipartisan INSULIN Act Introduced by U.S. Senators Shaheen, Collins, Warnock, and Kennedy
NEW YORK, March 25 -- Breakthrough T1D (formerly JDRF) a non-profit dedicated to funding type 1 diabetes research, posted the following news release:
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Breakthrough T1D Supports Bipartisan INSULIN Act Introduced by U.S. Senators Shaheen, Collins, Warnock, and Kennedy
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NEW YORK, March 25, 2026 - Breakthrough T1D, the leading global type 1 diabetes (T1D) research and advocacy organization, applauds Senators Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH), Susan Collins (R-ME), Raphael Warnock(D-GA), and John Kennedy (R-LA), for introducing the bipartisan INSULIN Act of 2026, aimed at lowering the cost of insulin
... Show Full Article
NEW YORK, March 25 -- Breakthrough T1D (formerly JDRF) a non-profit dedicated to funding type 1 diabetes research, posted the following news release:
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Breakthrough T1D Supports Bipartisan INSULIN Act Introduced by U.S. Senators Shaheen, Collins, Warnock, and Kennedy
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NEW YORK, March 25, 2026 - Breakthrough T1D, the leading global type 1 diabetes (T1D) research and advocacy organization, applauds Senators Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH), Susan Collins (R-ME), Raphael Warnock(D-GA), and John Kennedy (R-LA), for introducing the bipartisan INSULIN Act of 2026, aimed at lowering the cost of insulinand strengthening access to the drug for the millions of Americans who rely on it every day to live. Recent progress in reducing insulin prices has helped, but affordability remains a serious challenge for many people with T1D.
The INSULIN Act would cap monthly insulin cost sharing at no more than $35, or 25% of the list price, in the group and individual market health plans, prohibit utilization management barriers, such as prior authorizations, on capped products, and require pharmacy benefit managers to pass through 100% of insulin rebates and discounts to plan sponsors, which would help people in the form of reduced premiums. The INSULIN Act also promotes generic and biosimilar competition, while supporting uninsured individuals through a pilot grant program in 10 states, a federal access study, and the creation of a national insulin resource center and hotline.
"Breakthrough T1D commends Senators Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH), Susan Collins (R-ME), Raphael Warnock (D-GA), and John Kennedy (R-LA) for introducing this bipartisan bill to lower the cost of insulin for the millions of Americans who rely on it to live," said Lynn Starr, Breakthrough T1D's Chief Global Advocacy Officer. "The INSULIN Act builds on the meaningful progress made in recent years to reduce insulin prices and includes several long-standing priorities for which Breakthrough T1D has advocated. We are proud to support this legislation and urge the Senate to move swiftly to advance it."
Breakthrough T1D and the T1D community have been advocating for insulin affordability for years, engaging with Congress, employers, health insurance companies, and drug manufacturers. While the organization continues to drive toward cures for T1D, it is also working to make everyday life better for those with T1D. Breakthrough T1D looks forward to continuing to work with lawmakers to advance the INSULIN Act.
About Breakthrough T1D (formerly JDRF)
As the leading global type 1 diabetes research and advocacy organization, Breakthrough T1D helps make everyday life with type 1 diabetes better while driving toward cures. We do this by investing in the most promising research, advocating for progress by working with government to address issues that impact the T1D community, and helping educate and empower individuals facing this condition.
About type 1 diabetes (T1D)
T1D is an autoimmune condition that causes the pancreas to make very little insulin or none at all. This leads to dependence on insulin therapy and the risk of short and long-term complications, which can include highs and lows in blood sugar; damage to the kidneys, eyes, nerves, and heart; and even death. Globally, it impacts 9.5 million people. Many believe T1D is only diagnosed in childhood and adolescence, but diagnosis in adulthood is common and accounts for nearly 50% of all T1D diagnoses. The onset of T1D has nothing to do with diet or lifestyle. While its causes are not yet entirely understood, scientists believe that both genetic factors and environmental triggers are involved. There is currently no cure for T1D.
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Original text here: https://www.breakthrought1d.org/for-the-media/press-releases/breakthrough-t1d-supports-bipartisan-insulin-act-introduced-by-u-s-senators-shaheen-collins-warnock-and-kennedy/
Once Again, Maine DEP Allows Juniper Ridge Landfill Expansion to Move Forward
BOSTON, Massachusetts, March 23 -- Conservation Law Foundation issued the following news release:
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Once Again, Maine DEP Allows Juniper Ridge Landfill Expansion to Move Forward
Portland, ME - The Maine Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) has issued a new public benefit determination allowing the proposed expansion of the Juniper Ridge Landfill to move forward despite overwhelming concerns about pollution, public health, and the impacts on the Penobscot Nation.
"The court couldn't have been clearer: look at the full picture - the pollution, the history, the cumulative harm," said
... Show Full Article
BOSTON, Massachusetts, March 23 -- Conservation Law Foundation issued the following news release:
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Once Again, Maine DEP Allows Juniper Ridge Landfill Expansion to Move Forward
Portland, ME - The Maine Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) has issued a new public benefit determination allowing the proposed expansion of the Juniper Ridge Landfill to move forward despite overwhelming concerns about pollution, public health, and the impacts on the Penobscot Nation.
"The court couldn't have been clearer: look at the full picture - the pollution, the history, the cumulative harm," saidNora Bosworth, staff attorney at Conservation Law Foundation (CLF). "Instead, DEP has once again treated environmental justice as a checkbox rather than a commitment to the people the law was meant to protect."
The decision comes after a Penobscot County Superior Court judge rejected DEP's earlier approval and ordered the agency to reconsider the project's cumulative environmental justice impacts. That ruling resulted from an appeal by the Penobscot Nation and CLF.
"For generations, the Penobscot Nation has worked to raise the many impacts our community faces at once - on our health, our lands, and the Penobscot River, the oldest citizen of our Nation," said Kirk E. Francis, Tribal Chief of the Penobscot Nation. "This decision does not reflect the lived reality of our people. Our voices and our knowledge of this place must be meaningfully considered when those in power make decisions that will impact our land and community."
The Penobscot Nation and CLF are reviewing the updated determination to evaluate next steps.
The proposed expansion of the state-owned landfill, operated by Casella Waste Systems, has long raised concerns about PFAS contamination, air pollution, and the cumulative environmental burdens placed on nearby communities.
Experts are available for further comment.
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Original text here: https://www.clf.org/newsroom/once-again-maine-dep-allows-juniper-ridge-landfill-expansion-to-move-forward/
TPPF Challenges City of Austin's Unconstitutional Transportation Tax
AUSTIN, Texas, March 23 -- The Texas Public Policy Foundation issued the following news release:
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TPPF Challenges City of Austin's Unconstitutional Transportation Tax
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AUSTIN - Today, the Texas Public Policy Foundation filed a complaint, on behalf of local taxpayers, against the City of Austin for imposing an unconstitutional tax on utilities customers. The Transportation User Fee (TUF) has been tacked onto utilities bills since the 1990s and can cost households more than $260 per year.
Under the Texas Constitution, a tax must be equal and uniform, and the amount must be tied to property
... Show Full Article
AUSTIN, Texas, March 23 -- The Texas Public Policy Foundation issued the following news release:
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TPPF Challenges City of Austin's Unconstitutional Transportation Tax
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AUSTIN - Today, the Texas Public Policy Foundation filed a complaint, on behalf of local taxpayers, against the City of Austin for imposing an unconstitutional tax on utilities customers. The Transportation User Fee (TUF) has been tacked onto utilities bills since the 1990s and can cost households more than $260 per year.
Under the Texas Constitution, a tax must be equal and uniform, and the amount must be tied to propertyvalues. Under the Texas Tax Code, a new tax cannot be imposed without voter approval. This so-called "fee" violates all of those requirements.
"When a city wants to impose new taxes, it needs to hold an election so taxpayers have a say before more of their money goes to the government," said TPPF Attorney Heidi Walusimbi. "Disguising new taxes as fees not only violates Texas law, it gives the City carte blanche to fill its coffers, while silencing the very people who fund it. This case reminds the City that if it wants more funds, it needs to ask first."
To read the original petition, click here.
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Original text here: https://www.texaspolicy.com/press/tppf-challenges-city-of-austins-unconstitutional-transportation-tax
Colon cancer vs. rectal cancer: What's the difference?
ALEXANDRIA, Virginia, March 23 -- The Prevent Cancer Foundation issued the following news:
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Colon cancer vs. rectal cancer: What's the difference?
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Colorectal cancer, colon cancer and rectal cancer are often lumped together or even used interchangeably, leading to some confusion as to the relationship between these cancer types.
Colorectal cancer has been grabbing headlines in recent years after the deaths of several prominent celebrities from colon or rectal cancer, including Catherine O'Hara, James Van Der Beek, and Chadwick Boseman. Their stories are a powerful reminder of the importance
... Show Full Article
ALEXANDRIA, Virginia, March 23 -- The Prevent Cancer Foundation issued the following news:
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Colon cancer vs. rectal cancer: What's the difference?
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Colorectal cancer, colon cancer and rectal cancer are often lumped together or even used interchangeably, leading to some confusion as to the relationship between these cancer types.
Colorectal cancer has been grabbing headlines in recent years after the deaths of several prominent celebrities from colon or rectal cancer, including Catherine O'Hara, James Van Der Beek, and Chadwick Boseman. Their stories are a powerful reminder of the importanceof early detection of these diseases.
Below, we're spelling out the differences in colon cancer and rectal cancer and explaining how they fit together under the umbrella that is colorectal cancer.
What is colorectal cancer?
Colorectal cancer is the third-most common cancer in the United States. It is cancer that begins in the colon or rectum and can often be prevented with a screening colonoscopy by removing polyps (grape-like growths on the wall of the large intestine, which includes both the colon and rectum) before they become cancerous.
A colon cancer diagnosis or a rectal cancer diagnosis is each considered a colorectal cancer diagnosis.
What is colon cancer?
Colon cancer is a cancer that forms in the tissues of the colon (the longest part of the large intestine). According to the National Institute of Health (NIH), approximately 70% of colorectal cancer cases in the United States originate in the colon.
What is rectal cancer?
Rectal cancer is a cancer that forms in the tissues of the rectum (the last several inches of the large intestine closest to the anus). Approximately 30% of colorectal cases in the United States originate in the rectum, according to the NIH.
Similarities between colon cancer and rectal cancer
The colon and rectum are both parts of the large intestine, and the term "colorectal cancer" can refer to cancer in either or both areas.
Risk factors
Both colon cancer and rectal cancers share several risk factors, such as diet, age and genetics. You are at increased risk for colon cancer and rectal cancer if you:
* Drink alcohol in excess
* Eat a lot of red or processed meat
* Smoke
* Are overweight or obese
* Are not physically active
Symptoms
Colon cancer and rectal cancers also share several symptoms. Talk to a health care provider right away if you experience any of the following symptoms:
* Bleeding from the rectum or blood in or on the stool
* Unexplained iron-deficiency anemia
* Change in bowel movements that lasts more than a few days
* Stools that are more narrow than usual
* General abdominal problems such as bloating, fullness or a feeling that you need to have a bowel movement that's not relieved by having one
* Persistent abdominal cramps
* Unexplained vomiting, diarrhea or constipation
* Weight loss for no apparent reason
Your personal and family health histories also factor into your colon cancer and rectal cancer risk. If you have a family history of colon or rectal cancer, especially first-degree relatives such as your sibling, child or parent, you have an increased chance of developing the disease. Additionally, you are at increased risk if you have a personal history of inflammatory bowel disease or Crohn's disease or ulcerative colitis.
People between the ages of 50 and 75 are at greater risk of getting colorectal cancer than younger people, but colorectal cancer has been on the rise in younger adults in recent years. Earlier this month, a study from the American Cancer Society showed nearly half of all new colorectal cancer diagnoses are in adults under the age of 65.
You should begin screening at age 45 if you are at average risk for colorectal cancer. If you are at increased risk, you may need to start screening earlier or be screened more often-talk to your health care provider about what's right for you.
RELATED | 5 myths about colorectal cancer
Differences between colon cancer and rectal cancer, and why it's important for you
Demographics
Statistically, women are more likely to be diagnosed with colon cancer than men, whereas rectal cancer is the opposite.
When men are diagnosed with colon cancer, they are more likely (53%) to develop it at a younger age than women (68 vs. 72 years).
Odds of cancer recurrence
According to the University of Michigan's Rogel Cancer Center, rectal cancer has about a 20% risk of local recurrence, opposed to about a 2% chance with colon cancer.
"The rectum doesn't have the same protective outer layer (called the serosa) as the colon, so it's easier for a tumor to break through and spread locally," says Dr. Karin Hardiman, surgical director at the Center. "That makes rectal cancer 10 times more likely than colon cancer to come back after treatment where it started."
Treatment
Treatment for colon cancer is typically more straightforward than treatment for rectal cancer, primarily due to the location of the colon versus the location of the rectum.
The colon is located in a more accessible area, so it is easier to reach in surgical procedures. The rectum, on the other hand, has other critical organs nearby, making treatment more challenging. Rectal cancer can impede essential bodily functions, such as bowel movements and urination, depending on the tumor's size and proximity to these organs.
Dr. Eric Dozois, a Mayo Clinic colon and rectal surgeon, says if colon cancer is caught early, surgery may be the only treatment that is necessary, but added that rectal cancer treatment may be a different story.
"Our approach to rectal cancer often involves more aggressive treatments that help prevent it from coming back," he said.
READ MORE | 'Twas the night before your colonoscopy: 5 tips to make it easier
Screening and early detection are key
Regardless of whether cancer is found in the colon or the rectum, the best chance at better health outcomes is detecting it early, before symptoms develop. A colonoscopy is recommended every 10 years beginning at age 45, however there are multiple options when it comes to screening-including some tests that can be done from the comfort of your home.
Your health care provider can discuss which options are available to you.
RELATED | New option for colorectal cancer screening: Which one is right for you
Learn more about screening recommendations, risk factors, plus signs and symptoms of colorectal cancer.
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Original text here: https://preventcancer.org/article/colon-cancer-vs-rectal-cancer-whats-the-difference/
