Media Advisory

Studies Describe the Funding, Development, and Implementation of a National Colorectal Cancer Screening Demonstration Program in the United States

What:

Colorectal cancer is the second leading cancer killer in the United States of cancers that that affect both men and women. There is strong scientific evidence that regular screening for colorectal cancer beginning at age 50 helps find this disease at an early stage, when treatment can be most effective.

In 2005, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) provided funding for three years to five sites in the United States to implement the Colorectal Cancer Demonstration Program. The demonstration program sites provide colorectal cancer screening to uninsured and underinsured persons and those with a low income. The March/April 2008 issue of the Preventing Chronic Disease Journal includes several studies that describe the process and efforts used in designing and implementing the program.

Who:

CDC co-authored articles include:
The Development of a Federally-Funded Demonstration Colorectal Cancer Screening Program explains the process CDC used in designing the program and selecting the unique sites for its implementation.

The Cost of Starting Colorectal Cancer Screening Programs: Results from Five Federally Funded Demonstration Programs calculates start-up costs for implementation of the five colorectal cancer demonstration programs.

CDC's Colorectal Cancer Screening Demonstration Project: Facilitators and Challenges to Program Start-up describes in detail the the four main facilitators and challenges to program start-up at each site. Facilitators included pre-existing programs, partnerships, clinical expertise, and staff. Challenges included the administrative barriers, contracting with endoscopists, obtaining needed medical and treatment resources, and limited funds.

CDC's Colorectal Cancer Screening Demonstration Project: Lessons Learned during Start-up from Five Unique Program Models provides a case study analysis of each program from the start-up period through the initiation of screening activities.

When:

The March/April issue of the Preventing Chronic Disease Journal will be available online March 17, 2008

For details about the studies published in the Preventing Chronic Disease Journal, please visit http://www.cdc.gov/pcd/index.htm. For additional information about CDC's efforts in cancer prevention and control, please visit www.cdc.gov/cancer.

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U.S. DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES