| January 2012 | Happy New Year! |
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Partnership Members Publish Articles
This month we are celebrating the achievements of several of our members, who have recently published articles. One of the goals of our Partnership is to unite the diverse members of Connecticut's cancer community, so that together we may accomplish common goals and celebrate successes.
Brenda Cartmel (co-chair of the Data, Surveillance and Evaluation committee), Keith Bellizzi (co-chair of the new Joint Treatment/Survivorship committee), and Ruth McCorkle, former co-chair of the Palliative and Hospice Committee, have recently published articles of interest in their respective fields with co-authors who are also Partnership members.
"Indoor tanning and risk of early-onset basal cell carcinoma" published in the Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology, co-authored by Cartmel, Leah Ferrucci, Susan Mayne (also Partnership members) and other experts, evaluates the association between indoor tanning and early-onset basal cell carcinoma. Participants in the study who had ever used a tanning booth were 69% more likely to develop early-onset basal cell carcinoma than participants who had never tanned. The participants who used tanning booths regularly (for a period of at least six years) were more than twice as likely to develop basal cell carcinoma, compared with non-tanners. Dr. Cartmel hopes that the attention brought to this study by its feature in TIME Healthland, will hopefully lead to policy changes and increased regulations for indoor tanning.
Keith Bellizzi's article, "Prevalence of Cancer Screening in Older, Racially Diverse Adults" published in the Archives of Internal Medicine, investigates cancer screening rates for adults over the age of 75, the majority of whom, according to Dr. Otis Brawley (Chief Medical Officer for the American Cancer Society) should no longer be getting screened. Current US Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) screening guidelines suggest that there is insufficient evidence to evaluate the mortality benefits of screening men and women older than 75 years and advocate for individualized decisions in this group. Dr. Bellizzi's investigation analyzed data from the National Health Interview Survey and found that of adults aged 75 - 79, over 50% were still being screened for breast, cervical, colorectal, and prostate cancers. Interestingly, over 50% of men and women older than 75 years report that their physicians continue to recommend screening. Dr. Bellizzi's findings were also reported by major media outlets: USA Today, ABC News, MSNBC and the Hartford Courant, which can bring more attention to this subject.
Ruth McCorkle, Brenda Cartmel, Leah Ferrucci, as well as Partnership member, Elizabeth Ercolano were also among the authors of an article entitled "Employment experience of cancer survivors 2 years post-diagnosis in the Study of Cancer Survivors-I," published January 5 in the Journal of Cancer Survivorship. The abstract states that "Several sociodemographic and psychosocial characteristics were associated with negative work-related experiences and reduced workload in this population of cancer survivors who were working 1 to 2 years post-diagnosis. Additional research is needed to determine if these experiences and predictors are consistent in other cancer survivor populations. Being aware that some working cancer survivors may have negative work-related experiences and/or may not maintain full employment in later survivorship years may enable cancer survivors and employers to improve survivors' experiences at work."
If you would like to gain access to the scientific articles published, please contact Susan Mayne for "Indoor tanning and risk of early-onset basal cell carcinoma". For "Prevalance of cancer screening in older, racially diverse adults", please contact Keith Bellizzi.
For the "Employment experience of cancer survivors 2 years post-diagnosis", please contact Ruth McCorkle.
Members are encouraged to share their achievements, including articles published in scientific journals. To share your publications, please contact Amanda Sadlon.
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Research2Reality Offers Timely Webinar on New CoC Standards
Here's your chance to get the latest information about the new patient-centered standards of the American College of Surgeons' Commission on Cancer (CoC). Register today for the webinar entitled "Ensuring the Delivery of Patient-Centered Cancer Care" at 2:00 p.m. on January 24.
Connie Bura, Administrative Director for Cancer Program at the Commission on Cancer and Dr. Teresa Ponn, from the New Hampshire Comprehensive Cancer Control Collaboration, will outline the evidence for and details of the new patient-centered standards and include strategies to link the patient-centered standards and their implementation at the community level with the objectives of the comprehensive cancer control plans.
As more people are living with cancer, it is clear that the responsibility for quality, patient-centered care extends beyond cancer centers and into communities and the home. Central to this challenge are the Commission on Cancer and the comprehensive cancer control coalitions.
The American College of Surgeons' Commission on Cancer (CoC) recently released new accreditation standards in order to ensure that key elements of quality cancer care are provided to every person treated in a CoC-accredited facility. These new standards challenge cancer programs to address patient-centered needs and measure the quality of the care they deliver against national standards. Because the new standards require accredited programs to work with communities to assess and address barriers to access and cancer care, they provide an opportunity for cancer coalitions to be more involved in ensuring the delivery of quality care.
Tuesday, January 24, 2012: 2:00 p.m. - 3:00 p.m.
Register Now!
Please click here for more information and to register for this event. Following registration, you will receive a confirmation email with the toll-free number, web URL, and participant passcode.
This cyber-seminar will be archived on the Research2Reality website approximately one week following the presentation.
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Cancer Facts and Figures 2012 Now Available
The American Cancer Society's annual Facts & Figures publication documents the progress that is being made to fight the disease.
Cancer Facts & Figures provides a concise summary of frequently used cancer statistics, including the widely cited estimated numbers of new cancer cases and deaths in the current year, general information on leading cancer sites (signs and symptoms, risk factors, prevention, early detection, and treatment), and information on major cancer risk factors, such as tobacco use, nutrition, and physical activity. The special section this year focuses on cancers with increasing incidence trends in the United States. The academic version of this report, Cancer Statistics 2012, which appears in the Society's peer reviewed journal CA: A Cancer Journal for Clinicians, is one of the most highly cited papers worldwide.
These publications are useful tools for the news media, cancer control advocates, federal and state legislators, volunteers, and the general public, many of whom are seeking detailed information about cancer.
Highlights of Cancer Facts & Figures 2012
American Cancer Society epidemiologists predict that in the United States in 2012 there will be 1,638,910 new cancer cases and 577,190 cancer deaths. Other highlights from Cancer Facts & Figures 2012 include:
- Cancers of the lung and bronchus, prostate, and colorectum in men, and cancers of the lung and bronchus, breast, and colorectum in women continue to be the most common causes of cancer death. These four cancers account for almost half of all cancer deaths in the U.S.
- Among men, cancers of the prostate, lung and bronchus, and colorectum account for about half of all newly diagnosed cancers. Prostate cancer alone accounts for 29% (241,740) of incident cases in men.
- Among women, cancers of the breast, lung and bronchus, and colorectum, account for about half of new cases. Breast cancer alone is expected to account for 29% (226,870) of all new cancer cases among women.
Special Section
Each year, Cancer Facts & Figures features a special section highlighting a particular topic of interest related to cancer. Cancer Facts & Figures 2012 features a special section on increasing incidence trends in the United States.
- Despite declines for the most common cancers, incidence rates for several cancers have increased in the past decade, including cancers of the pancreas, liver, thyroid, and kidney and melanoma of the skin, as well as esophageal adenocarcinoma and certain subsites of oropharyngeal cancer associated with human papillomavirus (HPV) infection.
- HPV-related sites of oropharyngeal cancer, esophageal adenocarcinoma, and melanoma increased only in whites, except for esophageal adenocarcinoma, which also increased in Hispanic men.
- Liver cancer rates increased in white, black, and Hispanic men and in black women only. In contrast, incidence rates for thyroid and kidney cancers increased in all racial/ethnic groups except American Indian/Alaska Native men.
You can download the electronic version of Cancer Facts & Figures 2012 by clicking here.
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Medicaid Finally Helping Smokers Quit
The promise of the New Year is always a jump-start for making important life changes, and on Jan. 1, Connecticut residents had an even better reason to make a change -- to stop smoking. At last, those on Medicaid will finally get the help they need to quit. After many years of work by advocates, lawmakers, and finally the Malloy administration, Connecticut is doing the right thing in helping the Medicaid population kick the addiction of smoking. As of Jan. 1, Medicaid will offer residents the tools that are needed -- nicotine replacement therapies, pharmaceuticals and counseling. Studies show that the combination of treatments is the most effective path for a long term quit. Until it was proposed in Gov. Malloy's budget, Connecticut was one of only a handful of states that didn't offer smoking cessation coverage to Medicaid participants. As a rule, the Medicaid population smokes at a much higher rate than that of the general population. In our state, about 36 percent of residents on Medicaid smoke -- and that's over twice the Connecticut average. This is a real win-win for everyone -- smokers and nonsmokers alike. Not only are we now able to help save lives, the state as a whole will save taxpayer money. Connecticut spends approximately $1.6 billion on smoking-related illnesses every year. It is estimated that within five years of offering a comprehensive smoking cessation program to Medicaid beneficiaries the state will save $91 million annually in smoking related health care costs. Other states that have implemented similar comprehensive smoking cessation programs for their Medicaid populations have seen a dramatic drop in smoking related illnesses and hospitalizations. Massachusetts reported their benefit reached 40 percent of Medicaid clients, reduced hospitalizations for heart attacks by 46 percent and saved more than $10 million in hospital costs during the first two years alone. Dr. Patricia Checko wrote this piece which was published Dec. 23 in the Connecticut Post. She is the chairman of the MATCH (Mobilize Against Tobacco for Connecticut's Health) Coalition, co-chair of the Connecticut Cancer Partnership Prevention Committee and a member of the Partnership Board of Directors. |
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The Connecticut Cancer Partnership unites the members of our state's diverse cancer community--academic and clinical institutions, state and local government health agencies, industry and insurers, advocacy and community groups, and cancer survivors. Together, the coalition has developed and is now implementing a comprehensive plan to reduce the suffering and death due to cancer, and improve the quality of life of cancer survivors throughout Connecticut.
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Plan Ahead: March is Colorectal Cancer Awareness Month
The Connecticut Cancer Partnership is gearing up to launch a "Save Lives" campaign to increase awareness about colorectal cancer prevention and screening.
We would like to reach as many Connecticut residents as possible to provide colorectal cancer prevention and screening information that may be life saving.
What You Can Do:
- Contact us to receive pamphlets on colorectal cancer to distribute at your organization or community groups
- Contact us to schedule a short presentation/talk on colorectal cancer prevention and screening during a meeting, or other event.
Please contact Betty Murray, Disparities Project Coordinator for more information
(203) 379-4726 |
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Patient Navigation Conference
Please join us on Tuesday, April 17, 2012 at the Cromwell Crowne Plaza. Registration to open on March 1st.
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Events | |
January 19: 10:00 a.m.
Palliative/Hospice Committee Meeting
ACS Office, Rocky Hill
January 25: 9:00 a.m.
Early Detection Committee Meeting
ACS Office, Rocky Hill
February 6: 10:00 a.m.
Treatment/Survivorship Committee Meeting ACS Office, Rocky Hill
February 8: 3:00 p.m.
Prevention Committee Meeting
ACS Office, Rocky Hill
February 9: 2:00 p.m. Disparities Resource Team Meeting ACS Office, Rocky Hill
April 17: 9:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m. Patient Navigation Conference Cromwell Crowne Plaza
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Submissions |
CA CONNections
is produced by theConnecticut Cancer PartnershipEditorial StaffRenee Gaudette Lucinda Hogarty Marion Morra Amanda Sadlon Betty Murray P 203-379-4767F 203-379-5052www.ctcancerpartnership.org
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