In 2004, more than 560,000 Americans—more than 1,500 people a day— died of cancer.  In 2003 alone, cancer cost the U.S. more than $189 billion in direct medical costs and lost productivity.  As the second leading cause of death among all Americans—and now the leading cause of death for Americans 85 and under—cancer costs to states are staggering. 

States are fighting back with a variety of efforts to promote healthier lifestyles to prevent cancer, to make cancer screenings accessible to all, to detect and treat cancer early and to develop comprehensive cancer control strategies in communities.

Colorectal cancer is the second leading cause of cancer-related deaths in the United States. More than 56,000 Americans will die of colorectal cancer this year, and approximately 145,000 people will be diagnosed with the disease.  This Tool Kit provides state policymakers with important background information about colorectal cancer, examples of current state legislation, and cost-effective prevention strategies for states.  The Preventing Colorectal Cancer Tool Kit Contains:

• Legislator Policy Brief
• Talking Points
• Reducing Colorectal Cancer: Screening, Access and Services in Minority and Underserved Communities
• Sample State Legislation
• Resources Guide for State Policymakers

Community Health Resources

Learn more about cancer prevention initiatives in CDC's Community Health Resources, including fact sheets, state and local program contacts, communication materials and state data.

Using Sound Science to Prevent Chronic Disease: State Policy Implications

This TrendsAlert describes 20 key proven strategies to prevent chronic diseases and promote good health. It also explores factors—such as insurance coverage and low health literacy—that affect the use of proven interventions.  It reveals how policymakers can prevent significant costs and illness by acting decisively to employ underutilized prevention strategies.

Help Constituents Prevent Skin Cancer

As a state legislator, you can do something to help your constituents prevent skin cancer: use your state legislative Web site to link to user-friendly prevention resources. Find out more about these resources in the highlighted Healthy States Quarterly article above.

Cervical Cancer Vaccine: Will Girls and Women in Your State Have Access?

For decades, a widespread virus—human papillomavirus (HPV)—has been causing most cases of genital warts and cervical cancer in women. But a new a powerfully effective HPV vaccine has the potential to dramatically reduce the threat this virus poses to women's health. Read the above State News article for more information.

Cancer Fact Sheets

Below are fact sheets produced by the Association of State and Territorial Health Officials (ASTHO) summarizing the recommendations of the Task Force on Community Preventive Services (.pdf):

• Breast Cancer Screening
• Cervical Cancer Screening
• Colorectal Cancer Screening
• Skin Cancer Screening

Bring together all public and private cancer-fighting resources under a comprehensive plan and your attack on cancer will be more effective and may save many lives.

That's the simple, but powerful idea behind this Healthy States Initiative tool kit on an emerging cancer-fighting strategy for states. The Comprehensive Approaches to Cancer Control Tool Kit is designed to give state policymakers the information and resources they need to champion a more coordinated assault on cancer in their own states.

Letter from Delaware Gov. Ruth Ann Minner (.pdf)

You can download the tool kit components below (.pdf's):

• Talking Points
  
• Overview: A Smarter, More Effective Way to Fight Cancer
  
• Q & A: Implementing a Comprehensive Approach to Cancer Control in Your State
  
• Promising Practices: Comprehensive Approaches to Cancer Control in the States
  
• The Continuum of Care
  
• Table of Sample Legislation
  
• Text of Selected Legislation
  
• Resources for Further Exploration
  
• April 2005 State News Article: Attacking Cancer on All Fronts