Cancer is the Second Leading Cause of Death in Wisconsin
In 2003, almost 26,000 new cases of cancer were diagnosed and 10,800 people lost their lives to this disease. Even though residents of Wisconsin are still getting and dying from cancer, it is not the death sentence it once was. More than half of those who have cancer will survive and each year the number of cancer survivors grows.
Comprehensive cancer control is defined by the Centers of Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) as “an integrated and coordinated approach to reducing cancer incidence, morbidity, and mortality through prevention, early detection, treatment, rehabilitation, and palliation. CDC's National Comprehensive Cancer Control Program (NCCCP) provides funding and technical assistance to states for developing and implementing comprehensive cancer control (CCC).
State cancer plans are the stepping stones for advancing state CCC programs. Each state or tribal health agency develops an individual cancer plan to address its unique cancer burden. In September 2002, Wisconsin's Department of Health and Family Services was awarded a comprehensive cancer control planning grant from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. With this grant, diverse partners from all over the state have come together in 2003 -2004 to develop the Wisconsin Comprehensive Cancer Control Plan (WI CCC Plan).
Wisconsin has an opportunity to look at the gaps between where we have succeeded and where we need to improve in cancer prevention and control. The vision of comprehensive cancer control in Wisconsin is healthier people in Wisconsin by reducing the impact of cancer. Its mission is to create a consortium of public and private partners empowered to develop, implement, and promote a statewide coordinated approach to cancer control. The goals of the Wisconsin Comprehensive Cancer Control Plan are to:
- Reduce the risk of developing cancer.
- Detect cancer at the earliest stage possible.
- Promote access to quality comprehensive cancer care that meets or exceeds national guidelines and standards.
- Optimize the health-related quality of life along the continuum of care for those affected by cancer and their support networks.
- Improve consistency, coordination, and compliance of cancer data reporting and surveillance.
Chapters and Priorities
The plan has priorities that were developed from collaborative meetings of stakeholders using cancer-related data specific to Wisconsin. Each priority is followed by the rationale and data on disparate burden used in its development. The priorities have strategies with action plans and recommended implementation steps. Each strategy table in this plan contains the steps that need to be implemented to reach the Wisconsin Comprehensive Cancer Control Plan goals. The Wisconsin Comprehensive Cancer Control Plan priorities are:
Chapter 1: Prevention
Priority A: Decrease tobacco use and exposure to tobacco smoke.
Priority B: Promote healthy lifestyles through nutrition and physical activity.
Priority C: Promote and encourage protective behaviors from sun and UV exposure.
Chapter 2: Screening and Detection
Priority A: Increase colorectal screening rates for those 50 years and older, especially in high-risk populations.
Priority B: Increase rates of breast cancer screening, especially in high-risk populations.
Priority C: Increase rates of cervical cancer screening, especially in high-risk populations.
Priority D: Increase prostate cancer screening rates for men 50 years and older, especially in high-risk populations.
Chapter 3: Treatment
Priority A: Increase access to cancer treatment by reducing economic, geographic, cultural, and systems barriers.
Priority B: Encourage adherence by physicians to cancer treatment guidelines.
Priority C: Increase awareness of and participation in cancer clinical trials.
Chapter 4: Quality of Life
Priority A: Increase reimbursement for services related to quality of life at time of diagnosis and throughout the cancer continuum.
Priority B: Provide education that will enhance the understanding of the importance of quality of life in the treatment continuum.
Priority C: Assemble data on quality of life to establish best practices in measuring optimal treatment outcomes.
Chapter 5: Palliative Care / End of Life Issues
Priority A: Increase access to palliative care.
Priority B: Provide education that will enhance the understanding of palliative care in the treatment continuum.
Priority C: Identify best practices for delivering palliative care.
Chapter 6: Data Collection and Reporting
Priority A: Promote the collection and use of information to increase professional and public understanding and education about cancer and its impact on Wisconsin residents.
Priority B: Increase timeliness of reporting cancer cases to Wisconsin Cancer Reporting System.
Priority C: Improve the quality and completeness of treatment data.
Priority D: Improve racial and ethnic cancer data collection.
Cross Cutting Issues
The plan also has cross cutting issues that encompass the continuum of cancer care. These cross cutting issues do not have a separate goal but instead are threaded throughout the priorities, strategies and action plans.
- Disparities
Ensure that priorities and strategies developed in this plan work to eliminate health disparities. These include differences in the incidence, mortality, and related adverse health conditions that exist among specific population groups.
- Public Policy and Advocacy
Ensure that priorities and strategies developed in this plan include population-based and system changes through public policy and advocacy.
- Access to Healthcare
Ensure that priorities and strategies developed in this plan support equal access to services throughout the continuum of cancer for all Wisconsin residents.
- Evaluation
Ensure that priorities and strategies developed in this plan are measurable and can show improvement over time.
Appendices
The plan also contains appendices, located at the end of the plan. Appendices include cancer screening recommendations, Wisconsin's comprehensive cancer control history, Wisconsin demographics, acronyms, definitions, and an audience-specific breakdown of the plan.
The Wisconsin Comprehensive Cancer Control Plan (WI CCC Plan) 2005-2010 will serve as a common framework for action in cancer prevention and control over the next several years. It will provide program leaders, policy makers and researchers with a carefully crafted vision of what needs to be done and the resources needed to reduce the burden of cancer on the people of Wisconsin.
Review the entire Wisconsin Comprehensive Cancer Control Plan here.
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