For Immediate Release:
September 29, 2005

Contact:
Nanci Gonder
Office of Public Information
573-751-6062

Missouri receives federal grant to fight colorectal cancer
Screening is vital in detecting fourth most common type of cancer

Missouri has been awarded a federal grant to help fight colorectal cancer – the fourth most common type of cancer in the state. The Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services received one of five competitive grants from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to increase screening for colorectal cancer.

The $246,253 grant will be used to establish a demonstration program in St. Louis to increase colorectal cancer screening for low-income adults age 50 and older who have little or no health insurance coverage for regular screenings.

“Early detection is vital to the treatment of colorectal cancer. This valuable grant will help provide information and testing that will ultimately save the lives of many Missourians,” said Julia M. Eckstein, director of the state health department.

The CDC's three-year colorectal cancer screening program provides funding for conducting public education and outreach, collecting data on colorectal cancer screening and evaluating the effectiveness of the demonstration project.

According to the American Cancer Society, more than 3,230 Missourians will be diagnosed this year with colon and rectal cancers – the state's second leading cause of cancer death. Approximately 1,250 people will die from the disease in Missouri in 2005.

Nearly 60 percent of those deaths could be prevented if every one age 50 and older received regular colorectal cancer screenings, according to the CDC. However, nearly 42 million Americans age 50 and older have not been screened appropriately for colorectal cancer.

Regular screening tests can detect the cancer at its earliest stages when it is most treatable. The tests can also detect pre-cancerous colorectal polyps so they can be removed before they become cancerous.

Mortality rates for colorectal cancer have declined in recent years due in part to an increase in screening for the disease. Nationwide, the mortality rate has dropped 23 percent during the past two decades, but Missouri's rate has declined only 14 percent, according to the state health department.

“Too many people are still dying from colorectal cancer, and many of those lives could be saved with screening and treatment,” Eckstein said. “This demonstration program will not only provide screenings for many people who could not otherwise afford them, it will also help us emphasize how important it is for everyone over 50 to be screened.”

The state health department will be working with community coalitions to provide information about the St. Louis program and the importance of colorectal cancer screening. The screening tests will be performed by a group of health care providers that currently work with the health department on its breast and cervical cancer screening program. If cancer is detected, program participants can seek treatment at the Siteman Cancer Center at Barnes-Jewish Hospital in St. Louis.

The other recipients of the colorectal cancer screening grants are the Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services, Maryland Department of Health and Human Services, Seattle and King County in Washington and Suffolk County in New York. Total national funding for the first year of the colorectal screening program is $2.1 million.

More information about colorectal cancer can be found at www.cdc.gov/cancer/colorctl/index.htm and www.cdc.gov/sreenforlife.