Press Room

Press Release

CDC Awards $2.1 Million to Establish Colorectal Cancer Screening Program.
September 28, 2005

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is funding a three-year colorectal cancer screening demonstration program aimed at increasing colorectal cancer screening among low-income adults age 50 and over who have little or no health insurance coverage for regular screenings. Funding for the first year of the project will be $2.1 million.

The demonstration program locations receiving these competitive awards are:

• The Research Foundation of SUNY at Stony Brook, NY—county-based (Suffolk County)
• Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services—statewide
• Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services—city-based (St. Louis)
• Maryland Department of Health and Human Services—city-based (Baltimore)
• Seattle and King County, WA—county-based (Seattle and King County)

Nearly 42 million Americans, aged 50 and older, have not been screened appropriately for colorectal cancer, the nation’s second leading cause of cancer deaths. More than 145,000 Americans will be diagnosed with colorectal cancer this year and more than 56,000 will die from the disease. However, nearly 60 percent of these deaths could be prevented if everyone age 50 and over received regular colorectal cancer screenings.

“Too many people still die from colorectal cancer each year, despite strong, scientific evidence that screening and early detection saves lives,” said Janet Collins, Ph.D., director of CDC’s National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion. “We hope that this new colorectal cancer screening program will increase awareness of the importance of regular screenings as well as provide regular screening tests to people who would not otherwise receive them.”

The five recipients will use the funding to provide screening for colorectal cancer as well as provide medical follow-up services. The funding will also allow them to conduct public education and outreach, collect data on colorectal cancer screening, and evaluate the effectiveness of the demonstration program.

“This program is an important step in CDC’s efforts to increase screening and prevent deaths from colorectal cancer,” said Dr. Eddie Reed, director of CDC’s division of cancer control and prevention. “We know that regular screening tests can detect colorectal cancer at its earliest stages, when it is most treatable. Screening tests can also detect precancerous colorectal polyps so they can be removed before they become cancerous.”

For additional information about CDC’s efforts in colorectal cancer prevention, visit http://www.cdc.gov/cancer/colorectal/ and http://www.cdc.gov/cancer/colorectal/sfl/.

DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES

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Page last reviewed: November 15, 2006
Page last modified: November 15, 2006
Content source: National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion