Cares of Colorectal Cancer Increasing Amid Stagnant Medical Check Rate
From the Project Initiation Leader
Toshiaki Maegawara
Group Leader/Section Manager,
Solution Group,
Sales Marketing Dept., Marketing & Planning Div.,
Olympus Medical Systems Corp.
I played the role of project leader in the planning stage for marketing research. Endoscopes produced in Japan are greatly helping early detection and treatment of cancer all over the world. Considering this fact, I wish we could increase the opportunities to help save people through early detection and treatment in Japan, where the number of cancer patients is not decreasing.
From the Campaign Planning and Operation Staff
Masao Yamaoka
Deputy Section Manager,
Corporate Planning Group,
Corporate Planning Dept.,
Planning & Support Div.,
People wouldn't listen if we only told them the importance of colorectal cancer screening. Now we are using the power of music to make people share the feeling and at the same time highlighting the importance of taking a medical checkup. I hope we can widen this campaign so that as many people as possible can join without hesitation.
"Every helping hand is dear. I want to hold them near."
Hand in hand, I thank you, for with you I have no fear! Many of you in Japan might have heard the song sung by musicians Kazuhiko Kato, ANRI and Ayaka Hirahara, whose Japanese lyrics go something like, "Every helping hand is dear... ." This is the theme song of the BRAVE CIRCLE colorectal cancer awareness campaign, which is being promoted by the Olympus Group. These musicians have joined in with the wishes of Olympus to reduce the number of people whose life is taken by colorectal cancer. The number of Japanese people who have lost their lives to colorectal cancer has more than doubled in the past two decades, and colorectal cancer is the top killer of Japanese women. According to recent predictions, by 2015, colorectal cancer will be the most common cancer in both men and women*1. Colorectal cancer, if detected at an early stage, is a highly curable disease by endoscopic treatment or surgery. It can also be detected by a simple method of testing for blood in stools. Despite this, the medical check rate for Japanese people is only 18%. Without a test, early detection is difficult because this cancer is asymptomatic in its early stages.
*1: Calculated from the Cancer Statistics White Paper 2004
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