Invasion of the Giant Colon

Gargantuan promotional icons are nothing new to Times Square in New York, but few generate the curious mix of emotions triggered by a giant human colon.

But there it was last week, a 20-foot-long inflatable organ beckoning consumers to enter and explore its diseased insides. It was all part of a colorectal cancer awareness campaign conducted by the Prevent Cancer Foundation and pharmaceutical giant Sanofi-Aventis.

Last year, 3,100 Ontario residents died from colorectal cancer. In Northwestern Ontario we have a disproportionately high number of colorectal cancer cases, and many are diagnosed at late and fatal stages. Considering the disease is 90 per cent curable when found early.