Voucher Program to Provide Screenings for Colorectal Cancer
| LITTLE ROCK – Uninsured Arkansans who need to be screened for colorectal cancer are getting assistance through a voucher program provided by the Arkansas Special Populations Access Network (ASPAN) in the Arkansas Cancer Research Center (ACRC) at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS).
ASPAN is conducting a feasibility study to determine how Arkansas can change its high rate of cancer mortality through a grant from the National Cancer Institute’s Center to Reduce Cancer Health Disparities. The study includes providing vouchers for colonoscopy procedures to uninsured and underinsured patients. The Arkansas Medical Dental and Pharmaceutical Association and Pfizer Inc. are project partners.
Colorectal cancer is the second leading cause of cancer-related deaths in the U.S., but often can be treated if detected early. Arkansas ranks 12th highest in the nation for the number of colorectal cancer cases per year, but falls below the national average for the number of colorectal screenings. Colorectal cancer attacks men and women of all ethnic groups, but disproportionately affects African Americans in terms of both incidence and mortality.
Ronda Henry-Tillman, M.D., associate professor of surgery in the UAMS College of Medicine and medical director of the ACRC Women’s Oncology Clinic, and Alonzo D. Williams Sr., M.D., of the Arkansas Diagnostic Center, are co-principal investigators for the grant.
“Colorectal cancer is one of those subjects people don’t want to discuss, but by staying silent, many Arkansans are not being tested,” Henry-Tillman said. “There are no early symptoms for colorectal cancer, but if it is found early, especially in a pre-cancerous stage, the prognosis is very good. Everyone over 50 years old should get a colorectal cancer screening.”
Colonoscopy screening is the most accurate way to detect colorectal cancer. It views the entire colon and provides the physician the opportunity to biopsy any polyps found. Unfortunately, many uninsured or underinsured Arkansans are not able to afford a colonoscopy. By making vouchers available through clinics participating in the Cancer Education Awareness Program, ASPAN plans to dramatically increase the number of Arkansans who receive colonoscopies, potentially saving lives.
UAMS is the state’s only comprehensive academic health center, with five colleges, a graduate school, a medical center, five centers of excellence and a statewide network of regional centers. UAMS has about 2,170 students and 650 residents and is the state’s largest public employer with almost 9,000 employees. UAMS and its affiliates have an economic impact in Arkansas of about $3.8 billion a year.
UAMS centers of excellence are the Arkansas Cancer Research Center, Harvey and Bernice Jones Eye Institute, Donald W. Reynolds Center on Aging, Myeloma Institute for Research and Therapy and Jackson T. Stephens Spine and Neurosciences Institute.