Catching cancer earlier in Texas is the Moncrief mission [Video]

Newswise — A lump under the arm. Coughing that won’t go away. These can be the first signs of cancer – and a wake-up call that early detection and screening could save your life.

That’s how it worked for Vantrille Patterson of Allen, who was 47 when she first noticed blood in her stool. She had a family history of cancer but no insurance, so a doctor referred her to UT Southwestern’s Moncrief Cancer Institute in Fort Worth, which provides free, at-home colorectal cancer screening kits to underinsured and uninsured patients through a grant from the Cancer Prevention and Research Institute of Texas (CPRIT).

The at-home test led to a colonoscopy, which detected cancerous polyps. After a successful surgery, Ms. Patterson, at age 49, is cancer-free.

“There is no testimony without that test,” she said. “I might not even be here, because I didn’t have the know-how or resources to get screened for cancer, much …