EARLY DETECTION COMMITTEE
Committee Chair:
Linda Mowad
Screening tests that detect cancers early can save lives, because cancers that are detected at early stages are often highly curable.
For some cancers, screening can prevent the cancer from occurring, as when polyps in the colon are found and taken out before they become cancer. For others, early detection can reduce both the duration and severity of treatments. It also can improve quality of life and survival.
Connecticut has one of the highest incidence rates of invasive cancers in the United States. In 2005, Connecticut ranked fifth in the nation for new cancers among females and thirteenth for new cancers among males. If all women who are over 18 years of age or who are sexually active had a Pap test on a regular basis, the survival rate for cervical cancer would be over 90%.
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Evidence-based Cancer Screening: Screening for colorectal, breast, and cervical cancers can detect these cancers at an early stage when they are often curable and can reduce the time and severity of treatment.
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Reducing Disparities and Increasing Access: More people who are at higher risk can have life-saving early detection.
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Cancers with No Proven Early Detection Tests: Using evidenced-based strategies to educate people on early signs and symptoms of cancer, particularly for lung, ovarian, prostate, skin, testicular, and oral cancers for which proven early detection tests do not yet exist, can increase the likelihood of early detection and access to care.
The early detection goal for the 2009-2013 Connecticut Cancer Plan is:
Ensure that Connecticut residents receive appropriate and timely cancer screenings to detect cancer as early as possible, using quality, accessible, affordable, comprehensive, and evidence-based methods
Click on the link below to download the Early Detection chapter of the Connecticut Cancer Plan.
The Continuum of Cancer Control: Early Detection (PDF, 4.4 MB)
