$167,000 Grant Coincides With Colon Cancer Awareness Month

The Cancer Foundation of Santa Barbara has received a $167,000 grant in support of a genetic counseling program called the Lynch Syndrome, Education and Assessment Program (LEAP) at the Ridley-Tree Cancer Center.

The grant was initiated at the recommendation of Richard V. Gunner, trustee of the Dr. Howard R. Bierman and Anthony Granatelli Fund at the Santa Barbara Foundation. The program’s goal is to identify and assist individuals with Lynch syndrome, which is a genetic predisposition to colorectal (colon or rectum), uterine and pancreatic cancers.
 
The importance of LEAP for Santa Barbara County residents is highlighted during March, which is recognized as Colorectal Cancer Awareness Month.

Through the charitable grant and stewardship of the Cancer Foundation, genetic counselors at the Ridley-Tree Cancer Center are able to meet with individuals and families, facilitating important conversations and providing critical screenings.

In conjunction with the Cottage Hospital pathology department and seed money from the initial grant in 2015, genetic counselors at the Cancer Center were able to help establish immunohistochemistry (IHC) screenings for Lynch syndrome. This type of screening is also employed in the testing of colorectal and endometrial cancers.

Colon cancer is very treatable when discovered early, the Cancer Foundation points out. From moderate to advanced cases, surgery and chemotherapy are often effective. And while research is still being conducted on Lynch syndrome and colorectal cancers, early detection is key to prevention.

“This grant is changing lives in our community,” said Lori Willis, executive director of the Cancer Foundation. “We are tremendously grateful to Richard V. Gunner and the Dr. Howard R. Bierman and Anthony Granatelli Fund at the Santa Barbara Foundation for their foresight in supporting this essential program.”

Donations may be made to the Cancer Foundation to support genetic counseling at www.cfsb.org. For more about colorectal screenings, contact Natalie Gutierrez at the Ridley-Tree Cancer Center, 805-879-5678.