[403] MIDDLE TENNESSEE STATE UNIVERSITY CENTER, STUDENTS TACKLING CANCER IN HIGH-RISK STATE

MIDDLE TENNESSEE STATE UNIVERSITY CENTER, STUDENTS TACKLING CANCER IN HIGH-RISK STATE

April 2, 2009

MURFREESBORO, TENN—Colorectal cancer is the second-leading cause of cancer death in Tennessee, which is one reason why the Center for Health and Human Services at Middle Tennessee State University has been working with the Tennessee Department of Health the past five years to compile and distribute the state’s first control plan through the Tennessee Comprehensive Cancer Control Coalition. The CHHS is also assisting with the recently revised and updated 2009-2012 cancer plan.
Part of the overall effort has been to establish six regional Cancer Coalitions throughout the state to bring together providers, medical centers, universities, researchers and patient advocates to sponsor educational programs and initiatives and to encourage citizens to undergo cancer screenings.
Tennessee ranks 3rd in the nation in deaths caused by cancer, according to Feb. 2009 figures from the CDC. The CDC report also states that Tennessee ranks 21st in the nation in new cases of cancer. The only neighboring state that fares worse is Kentucky, which ranks 4th in new cases and 1st in national death rates. Why does Tennessee rank so high in cancer—why 21st in new cases and 3rd in deaths? The coalition will continue to seek answers to those puzzling questions.
While agencies are joining forces to find those elusive answers, they also are preaching prevention through personal responsibility.
“The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention tells us that colorectal cancer screening saves lives,” says Dr. Martha Jo Edwards, CHHS director and holder of the interdisciplinary Adams Chair of Excellence in Health Care Services at MTSU. “If everyone 50 years and older were screened regularly, as many as 60 percent of deaths from this cancer could be avoided.” While deadly, colorectal cancer is one of the most commonly diagnosed forms of cancers, Edwards added.
Colorectal cancer, in most cases, develops from precancerous polyps (abnormal growths) in the colon or rectum. Screening tests can find those polyps early and often prevent cancer from proliferating. Edwards says that studies show that increased physical activity and maintaining a healthy weight may decrease the risk of colorectal cancer. Other prevention measures are less clear. Experts agree that a diet low in animal fat and high in fruits, vegetables and whole-grain products reduces the risk of chronic diseases.
Not surprisingly those who are uninsured or underinsured run the greatest risk of falling victim to colorectal cancer because of the lack of insurance. Cindy Chafin, who is CHHS project director for the Cancer Control Project, points out that the TCCCC and the American Cancer Society are advocating in the Tennessee General Assembly this year for the creation of a Tennessee Colorectal Cancer Screening Pilot Program to help low-income residents gain access to screening for early detection.
“Under the pilot program, colorectal screening would be offered to eligible participants at 250 percent of the poverty level and below,” Chafin explains. “Eligible participants would be defined as those between 50 and 64 years of age.”
When detected early, the five-year survival rate for colon cancer is 90 percent; however, only 39 percent of colorectal cancers are diagnosed at this stage due to low rates of screening. And as a person gets older, the five-year survival rate after detection declines dramatically, Chafin notes.
According to information from the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force, the recommended screening tests for this type of cancer include (a) a colonoscopy every 10 years; (b) high-sensitivity fecal occult blood test (FOBT) every year; and (c) flexible sigmoidoscopy every five years.
For more information about the work of MTSU’s Center for Human and Human Services, in conjunction with the TCCCC, contact Edwards at 615-898-2905 or Chafin at 615-847-3081. For a copy of the 2009-2012 Coalition Control Plan, visit http://health.state.tn.us/CCCP.

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SIDEBAR:

MTSU STUDENT LAUNCHES ‘COLLEGES AGAINST CANCER’ ON CAMPUS

MTSU junior Samantha Nichols, organizational communication major from Jackson, Tenn., decided to do something positive to fight cancer by starting ‘Colleges Against Cancer’—and organization that is affiliated nationwide with The American Cancer Society. Nichols is single-handedly recruiting students, faculty and staff to help educate the campus community about cancer-related issues. For starters, she says she plans to push for a tougher policy on campus smoking. Nichols wants to organize regular meetings, develop initiatives and utilize the voices of cancer survivors and those who have lost loved ones to create interest and momentum.
“I really wanted to start this organization because everybody in some way has been affected by cancer,” Nichols says. “I have had an uncle and a grandmother pass away from cancer, and two cousins have fought it and beat it. It has all been on my mom’s side. So I’ve been touched by cancer.”
According to 2007 CDC numbers, 24 percent of adults in Tennessee smoke cigarettes compared to the national average of 19 percent. Forty-one percent of Tennessee students in public high schools smoke cigarettes.
According to figures published by the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids, smoking kills more people than alcohol, AIDS, car crashes, illegal drugs, murders and suicides combined.
Nichols says she also plans to organize a mini-relay event in the fall on the MTSU campus.
Nichols can be reached at 731-499-1505 or sln2t@mtsu.edu--or contact MTSU News and Public Affairs, Tom Tozer, at 615-898-2919.