CA Cancer J Clin 2003; 53:264
doi: 10.3322/canjclin.53.5.264
© 2003 American Cancer Society
INSTITUTE OF MEDICINE RELEASES REPORT ON CANCER PREVENTION AND EARLY DETECTION
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IOM issues report on cancer prevention. Reprinted with permission from Fulfilling the Potential of Cancer Prevention and Early Detection. Copyright © 2003, National Academies Press.
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A new report from the Institute of Medicine (IOM) of the National Academies estimates that 60,000 deaths and 100,000 new cases of cancer could be prevented each year by 2015 if more Americans used the cancer prevention and early detection knowledge and recommendations currently available. The report, "Fulfilling the Potential of Cancer Prevention and Early Detection," was highlighted during an ACS-IOM symposium on June 30, 2003 in Washington, D.C. The symposium featured speakers including Andrew C. von Eschenbach, MD, director of the National Cancer Institute (NCI), and John R. Seffrin, PhD, chief executive officer of the ACS, as well as the coauthors of the report, and other health experts from the federal, academic and private sectors.
"Many of the behaviors placing people at increased risk for cancer are well recognized, and calls for change are not new," said Seffrin. "What is new, however, is the growing body of evidence confirming the effectiveness of interventions helping people improve their health-related behaviors."
The report suggests that to save the most lives from cancer, health care providers, health plans, insurers, employers, policy makers, and researchers should concentrate their resources on helping people stop smoking, maintain a healthy weight and diet, exercise regularly, and keep alcohol consumption at low to moderate levels. The IOM report also reviews the evidence supporting interventions for cancer prevention and early detection, and recommends the following 12 steps to increase the prevalence and impact of cancer prevention and early detection behaviors:
- Federal and state legislatures should enact and provide funding for enforcement of laws that reduce and eliminate health consequences of tobacco use and exposure.
- A national strategy should be developed and applied to address the epidemic of obesity, unhealthy diet, and physical inactivity in America.
- Congress should provide sufficient appropriations to support development, implementation, and evaluation of community-based prevention and early detection programs by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
- Health care insurers and providers should cover and provide evidence-based cancer prevention and early detection services.
- Congress should increase support for programs that provide primary care (including cancer prevention and early detection) to uninsured and low-income people.
- Additional support for the National Breast and Cervical Cancer Early Detection Program is needed for the program to reach all uninsured women. A similar program is needed to provide colorectal cancer screening for uninsured and low-income people.
- The extent to which federal health programs are offering and successfully delivering evidence-based prevention services should be reviewed by the Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS).
- Adherence to evidence-based prevention and early detection guidelines should be monitored. Improvements in health professionals’ education and in the infrastructure of health care systems should be undertaken to enhance delivery of cancer prevention and early detection services.
- Congress should provide support to DHHS and the US Taskforce on Community Prevention Services for assessments of cancer prevention and early-detection interventions.
- Public and private organizations should work to help the public understand and make informed lifestyle and medical choices regarding cancer prevention and early detection.
- National Cancer Institute and ACS initiatives to reduce racial, ethnic, and economic disparities in the cancer burden should be supported.
- Sponsors of research should expand support of applied behavioral research and how best to disseminate evidence-based prevention interventions.
"The specific and wide-ranging recommendations in the IOM report are consistent with ACS recommendations and guidelines for the reduction of cancer incidence and mortality," said Harmon J. Eyre, MD, national chief medical officer for the Society. "The report also further demonstrates the need for health organizations to work collaboratively in the fight against cancer."
The full report can be viewed online by visiting the National Academies Press Web site at www.nap.edu/books/0309082544/html/.
