Colorectal Cancer Awareness Month: 'We Have Work to Do'

John Marshall, M.D., shares his thoughts about the differences between awareness months, in particular March, which is Colorectal Cancer Awareness month.

Marshall is chief of the Division of Hematology/Oncology at MedStar Georgetown University Hospital, professor of medicine and oncology at the Lombardi Comprehensive Cancer Center at Georgetown University, and director of the Otto J. Ruesch Center for the Cure of Gastrointestinal Cancer.

March differs from October — breast cancer awareness month – in that it has a different tone. Where October celebrates high survival rates among individuals with breast cancer, March tends to be more about remembering patients who passed, and advocating for screening on their behalf. "October is harvest time. But March is spring, and we have work to do going forward.”