WASHINGTON, D.C. – October 4, 2011 – Cancer patients and survivors today marked an historic milestone in the prevention and early detection of two of the deadliest cancers for women: the 10 millionth screening performed under the National Breast and Cervical Cancer Early Detection Program (NBCCEDP), which provides access to lifesaving cancer screenings and treatment for millions of low-income, uninsured and underinsured women.
The program, which is administered by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), has provided screening tests to nearly 4 million women and detected more than 37,000 cases of breast cancer since 1991.
“For 20 years this program has saved lives by offering breast and cervical cancer screenings to women who otherwise could not get them,” said Christopher W. Hansen, president of the American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network (ACS CAN). “Medical advances in the prevention and early detection of cancer are responsible for a 20-year decline in death rates from the disease, but Americans without access to proven screening tests cannot benefit.”
Breast cancer is the second leading cause of cancer deaths among women and will kill an estimated 40,000 women this year, but screening can reduce breast cancer mortality rates, saving thousands of lives each year. Furthermore, cervical cancer screenings using the Pap test can actually prevent cancer altogether by detecting precancerous lesions.
Since its establishment in 1991, the National Breast and Cervical Cancer Early Detection Program has been implemented in all 50 states, the District of Columbia, four U.S. territories and 13 American Indian/Alaska Native organizations. The program offers breast and cervical cancer screenings to more than 500,000 women every year, targeting racial and ethnic minorities, who tend to have lower screening rates for these cancers.
Cancer advocates celebrated the program’s 10 millionth screening, which the CDC estimates will occur this fall, at an event today featuring Kathleen Sebelius, Secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services. She was joined by Congresswomen Rosa DeLauro (CT-3) and Debbie Wasserman Schultz (FL-20); Dr. Louis Weiner, Director of the Georgetown Lombardi Comprehensive Cancer Center; Tanya Snyder, a breast cancer survivor and wife of Washington Redskins owner Dan Snyder; and Stacey Ferguson, a Washington, D.C. resident who is at high-risk for developing breast cancer and receives all her cancer screenings through the NBCCEDP. The event was held at the Capital Breast Care Center, a facility on Capitol Hill which provides comprehensive, culturally appropriate breast cancer screening services and health education to women in the Washington, D.C. area regardless of their ability to pay.
“The national breast and cervical cancer screening program provides a safety net for women to access lifesaving mammograms and Pap tests,” said Molly Daniels, deputy president of ACS CAN. “Without it, the women who benefit from the program would have to skip these critical screening tests.”
ACS CAN is the nonprofit, nonpartisan advocacy affiliate organization of the American Cancer Society, dedicated to eliminating cancer as a major health problem. ACS CAN works to encourage lawmakers, candidates and government officials to support laws and policies that will make cancer a top national priority. ACS CAN gives ordinary people extraordinary power to fight cancer. For more information, visit www.fightcancer.org.
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FOR MORE INFORMATION, CONTACT:
Christina Saull or Steven Weiss
American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network
Phone: (202) 585-3250 or (202) 661-5711
Email: [email protected] or [email protected]
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