Published on July 13, 2015
| FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: May 9, 2008 |
CONTACT: Jasmine Greenamyer 703-837-3695 jasmine@preventcancer.org |
Outcomes Stem from 2008 National Leadership Meeting on Colorectal Cancer
Prevention and Early Detection
ALEXANDRIA, VA — The Prevent Cancer Foundation is releasing the top three health care reform recommendations that emerged from its 10th Annual Dialogue for Action in Colorectal Cancer Screening: Moving Forward Despite a Broken Health Care System event, held in Baltimore, Maryland, on April 8-10, 2008.
The Dialogue for Action conference — the only national conference on this topic and of this nature — focuses on increasing colorectal cancer screening as a component of a comprehensive and coordinated cancer prevention strategy. It’s a lively forum comprised of thought leaders from across the country. The concept of this conference is to spark a dialogue, create action and continue to make strides toward a cancer-free future. Although colon cancer remains the second-leading cancer killer, when detected early it is up to 90 percent preventable through the removal of pre-cancerous polyps.
This year’s meeting included 192 prominent leaders from across the colorectal cancer arena: the American Cancer Society, National Cancer Institute, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, insurers, physicians, nurses, researchers, state health departments, hospitals, grassroots organizations, and pharmaceutical and biotech companies.
Following the conference, 111 participants voted on the top health care recommendations generated from their discussions. When asked “If you were face to face with people in power, what key recommendations would you make about how to include preventive services in health care reform?”
These are the top recommendations:
“We needed a consensus on how to move forward on a cancer where, at best — only 63% of the public has received a preventive colorectal cancer screening test. These three recommendations give us, and our partners, a clear direction on how to target our policy and advocacy efforts. The Prevent Cancer Foundation will work with its partners to disseminate the top recommendations to Congress and other key national organizations,” stated Carolyn Aldigé, president and founder of the Prevent Cancer Foundation.
To learn more about the 2008 Prevent Cancer Foundation’s Dialogue for Action™Conference or HR 1738: The Colorectal Cancer Prevention, Early Detection, and Treatment Act, visit: www.preventcancer.org.
Conference Co-Chairs: Richard Wender, MD, Thomas Jefferson University and member of the Foundation’s Medical Advisory Board; Tim Byers, MD, MPH, University of Colorado Cancer Center; and Robert Smith, PhD, American Cancer Society. Conference Sponsors: Patron, Quest Diagnostics; Benefactor, Genentech; and Supporters, Beckman Coulter, Inc., Exact Sciences, Olympus America, Inc. and Quidel. (Sponsors have no involvement in the agenda or content of the conference.)
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About Prevent Cancer Foundation
The Prevent Cancer Foundation (formerly the Cancer Research and Prevention Foundation) was started in 1985 when Founder and President Carolyn Aldigé first understood the power of prevention to defeat cancer — and recognized that too few of the country’s resources were used to promote cancer prevention research or education. Today, it is one of the nation’s leading health organizations and has catapulted cancer prevention to prominence. Through healthy lifestyle choices, you can reduce your risk of breast, cervical, colorectal, lung, oral, prostate, skin and testicular cancers.
Since its inception the Foundation has provided more than $97 million in support of cancer prevention and early detection research, education and community outreach programs. The Foundation’s peer-reviewed grants have been awarded to more than 300 scientists from more than 150 of the leading academic medical centers nationwide. This research has been pivotal in developing a body of knowledge that is the basis for important cancer prevention and early detection strategies. For more information, please visit www.preventcancer.org.
