MEDIA RELEASE PR41716
One Month Until First Worldwide NET Cancer Awareness Day on November 10, 2010
NEW YORK, Oct. 13 /PRNewswire-AsiaNet/ --
1st Global Call-to-Action at www.netcancerday.org
The World NET Community announces the first Worldwide NET Cancer
Awareness Day on November 10, 2010 to raise awareness about cancers called
neuroendocrine tumors (NETs) and the need for timely detection and diagnosis.
More than 90% of all NET patients are incorrectly diagnosed and initially
treated for the wrong disease. Misdiagnoses or delayed diagnoses mean that
NET patients are treated on average five to seven years for the wrong
disease; often the correct diagnosis is not made until the disease has spread
(metastasized).
The World NET Community, formed in Berlin in March 2010, is an
international community of patient advocacy groups and NET organizations from
around the world working together to raise awareness about NET cancers on a
global level.
Global Campaign and Call-to-Action: Sign, Share, Follow & Fan
To reach and mobilize a global audience, the campaign organizers have
Proclamation that visitors are encouraged to digitally sign to show their
support for the cause and the people they love. The site also includes
information about neuroendocrine tumors, campaign news and photos and a
calendar highlighting scores of events planned across the globe on or around
November 10, 2010. Through a dynamic social media campaign, including Tweets,
blogs and a Facebook page dedicated to Worldwide NET Cancer Awareness Day,
people from around the world are encouraged to log onto the website and join
the call to action
-- Sign the Worldwide NET Cancer Awareness Day Proclamation
-- Share the Proclamation with friends by e-mail
-- Follow the Campaign on Twitter
-- Fan the Campaign on Facebook
Truly a global effort, the Proclamation has been translated into seven
different languages (Bulgarian, Dutch, French, Norwegian, Polish, Spanish,
and Swedish) to broaden the reach of the campaign messages.
The website also offers other organizations a way to join the World NET
Community, download campaign resources and post their own Worldwide NET
Cancer Awareness Day events for more visibility.
Information about NETs
The incidence of neuroendocrine tumors (NETs) is on the rise globally.
While they are usually slow growing cancers, NETs are difficult to detect and
diagnose. They can occur in different parts of the body but are most often
found in the gastrointestinal tract, which includes the small and large
intestines as well as the stomach and appendix, and the lungs. NETs can also
originate in the pancreas and rectum, and occasionally from other areas.
Neuroendocrine tumors, produce excessive amounts of hormones and include
carcinoid syndrome, Zollinger Ellison syndrome, VIPomas, insulinomas
gastrinoma, glucaginoma and somatostatinoma, among others. Symptoms may
include abdominal pain, flushing, diarrhea, wheezing, heart palpitations,
skin rash, heartburn, and weight changes.
Worldwide NET Cancer Awareness Day organizers, including people with
NETS, healthcare professionals and patient advocates, hope that the effort
will raise awareness of these cancers and reduce the number of undiagnosed or
misdiagnosed tumors. For example, many patients with gastrointestinal
carcinoid are misdiagnosed with Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS) or Crohn's
disease.
With increased awareness both in the healthcare and patient communities,
it is hoped there will be an improvement in the availability and quality of
diagnosis, treatment and care for NET cancer patients throughout the world.
About the Worldwide NET Cancer Awareness Day Steering Committee
Worldwide NET Cancer Awareness Day is an annual, awareness-raising event
coordinated by the Worldwide NET Cancer Awareness Day Steering Committee
level, and by patient advocacy groups and NET organizations at national and
local levels. The Steering Committee includes leaders of organizations from
Australia, Bulgaria, Canada, Germany, Norway, Poland, Singapore, Sweden, The
Netherlands, the United Kingdom and the United States.
For additional information, a global press kit is available on
-- Backgrounder on why early detection and diagnosis of NETs is critical
-- Worldwide NET Cancer Awareness Day Proclamation
-- Fact sheet about NETs
-- List of Steering Committee members for Worldwide NET Cancer Awareness
Day
For further information, contact:
--------------------------------
Asia Pacific:
-- Bill Claxton, williamc@cnets.org , +65-9012-4327
Australasia:
-- John Leyden, MD, infor@unicornfoundation.org.au, +61-1300-CURE-NETS
Canada:
Maureen Coleman, Maureen@sympatico.ca, 1-416-544-8467
Europe:
-- Maia Sissons, maia@netpatientfoundation.com, +44-7595068998
Europe, Germany:
-- Inge Engel, inge.engel@web.de, +49-30-21-47-39-81
Europe, Scandinavia:
-- Agneta H-Franzen, info@carpapatient.se, +46-70-5955814
United States, Eastern Time:
-- Grace Goldstein, United States, carcinoid@optonline.net,
1-888-722-3132 or 1-914-683-1001
-- Maryann Wahmann, United States, carcinoidaware@aol.com,
1-866-850-9555 or 1-516-781-7814
United States, Pacific Time:
-- Kari Brendtro, United States, kari@nanets.net, 1-360-314-4112
SOURCE: The Carcinoid Cancer Foundation
CONTACT: Asia Pacific:
Bill Claxton
williamc@cnets.org
+65-9012-4327
Australasia:
John Leyden, MD
infor@unicornfoundation.org.au
+61-1300-CURE-NETS
Canada:
Maureen Coleman
Maureen@sympatico.ca
+1-416-544-8467
Europe:
Maia Sissons,
maia@netpatientfoundation.com
+44-7595068998
Europe, Germany:
Inge Engel
inge.engel@web.de
+49-30-21-47-39-81
Europe, Scandinavia:
Agneta H-Franzen
info@carpapatient.se
+46-70-5955814
United States, Eastern Time:
Grace Goldstein,
United States
carcinoid@optonline.net
+1-888-722-3132 or +1-914-683-1001 or
Maryann Wahmann
United States
carcinoidaware@aol.com
+1-866-850-9555 or +1-516-781-7814
United States, Pacific Time:
Kari Brendtro
United States
kari@nanets.net
+1-360-314-4112
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