South Carolina Cancer Advocacy Community promotes continued funding for Colonoscopy Program

COLUMBIA -  The American Cancer Society, the South Carolina Cancer Alliance and the South Carolina cancer advocacy community have come together to urge the South Carolina Legislature to approve continued funding for SCOPE/SC, a life-saving program that provides colonoscopies to low-income, uninsured South Carolinians.

The SCOPE/SC (Screening Colonoscopies On People Everywhere/South Carolina) Project was initiated in 2008 with funds allocated by the State Legislature; it was successfully piloted in four SC communities, and it effectively screened over 600 people who would otherwise not have been able to have access to this universally recommended screening program.

State lawmakers appropriated $1 million to continue and expand the program in 2009.  With the new infusion of funds, the colon cancer screening program will be expanded to a total of seven communities around the state and will reach nearly 1,000 South Carolinians to help prevent colon cancer incidences and deaths. It is hoped that funding for SCOPE/SC will be continued until all it provides this life-saving screening to all eligible South Carolinians.

“My family and I are grateful that even during an economic decline, the South Carolina General Assembly recognized the importance of the SCOPE/SC program and realized that it is responsible for saving many lives from the ravages of colon cancer,“ said Irmo-area resident David Wright, 54, who was diagnosed with and treated for Stage 3 colon cancer in 2008.

Wright is especially grateful for the screening and treatment programs available to South Carolinians – his 27-year-old daughter, Kimberly, was also diagnosed with colon cancer in July and is currently being treated for Stage 3 colon cancer. 

“Colon cancer is a silent killer because, in many cases like mine, there are no symptoms. Unless you are screened, you may very well be playing ‘Russian roulette’ with your life”, Wright said. “Because of what the Legislature did in 2009, SCOPE/SC has been able to impact the lives of many more low-income, uninsured people - and that’s a very good thing.“

Colorectal cancer is the second leading cause of cancer deaths in South Carolina and the number one cause of cancer deaths among non-smokers. The American Cancer Society estimates 146,970 Americans will be diagnosed with colon cancer this year – 2,000 in South Carolina – and 135,000 of these cases could be prevented with regular colonoscopies. Since the vast majority (95 percent) of colon cancers develop after age 50, the American Cancer Society guidelines call for regular colon cancer screening for all individuals beginning at age 50. Earlier screening may be recommended for those at higher risk.  Unfortunately, only about one-third of Americans get regular colon cancer screenings. 

In 2004, the SCCA published the S.C. Cancer Report Card, which recognized colorectal cancer as one of the top 5 priorities for the state.  A major part of the state cancer plan includes increasing the percentage of individuals who avoid a diagnosis of colon cancer as a result of screening. 

“Screening rates are below desirable levels among all South Carolinians, but the even higher incidence and mortality rates from colon cancer among African American citizens make it an increasingly pressing issue in our state,” said Diane Gluck, president of the Board of the SCCA.  “We are excited about the progress that was made in 2009, but it is critical that we continue to provide the necessary resources for the program in order to make a permanent and sustained impact on SC cancer rates.  We urge every South Carolinian to join us in encouraging our lawmakers to continue funding for SCOPE/SC and to partner with the SCCA to ensure that more people can take advantage of this life-saving procedure.”

SCOPE/SC was developed as a collaboration of the South Carolina Cancer Alliance and the entire South Carolina cancer advocacy community.  It is implemented through the South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control (DHEC), who already had demonstrated a successful track record of administering a similar program for breast and cervical cancer prevention.  As a result, DHEC was able to take the SCOPE/SC project from design to full-scale implementation in a matter of weeks, rather than the usual months or years that a project of this magnitude would typically require.  The program began providing colonoscopies - the “gold standard” of colon cancer prevention - to eligible individuals soon after funding became available and will continue to touch the lives of these families as long as funds are available.

“The effectiveness of SCOPE/SC derives from the fact that it was designed and implemented by a coalition of medical, academic, public health, governmental, and lay communities.  These communities came together with a commitment to dissolve the boundaries that separated them and synergize their expertise to reduce the burden of colorectal cancer, particularly among the underserved populations of South Carolina,” said Dr. Frank Berger, director of USC’s Center for Colon Cancer Research and the Chairperson of the Colorectal Cancer Work Group of the SCCA.

Colonoscopy screening is unique it that it not only detects cancer at an early stage, but it can actually prevent most colon cancer deaths.  Colon cancer develops from polyps, which remain pre-cancerous (benign) for an average of over 10 years before becoming malignant.  A colonoscopy both detects and removes polyps, preventing the development of cancer. According to the American Cancer Society, 95 percent of the 50,000 colon cancer deaths in the United States each year could be prevented with regular colonoscopies.

Not only is colonoscopy life-saving, it is also cost-saving.  The estimated average economic impact for each case of colon cancer is $143,000.  Hospitals and other healthcare providers are shouldering the $60,000,000 currently spent on patients suffering from a preventable cancer. It is estimated that one person among every 30 screened with colonoscopy will be prevented from suffering with colon cancer. Thus, an up-front investment of $30,000 can save $143,000 in direct patient care costs – a savings of $4 for each dollar spent.

As the recession continues to have a major impact on jobs and health insurance coverage for many more people, including those still employed, the burden for absorbing treatment costs has increased dramatically on existing healthcare facilities and providers.  Of the 2,100 South Carolinians who are diagnosed with colon cancer each year, more than 20 percent are uninsured. Programs like SCOPE/SC are desperately needed to ensure that the gap doesn’t widen further between those who have access to care and those who do not

“As advocates for culturally-competent, accessible health care for all, especially the medically underserved, the state’s Federally Qualified Health Centers are encouraged by this collaborative effort to ensure the coordination of high quality, preventive primary care services for their patients,” says Lathran J. Woodard, chief executive officer of the South Carolina Primary Health Care Association.  “The SCOPE/SC program is playing an important role in achieving the mission of our member health centers to increase access to preventive health care for all in South Carolina.”

Decreasing the impact of cancer on all people in South Carolina is the mission of the SCCA and all of its over 1000 members and partners.  The SCCA brings together the hospitals, organizations, businesses and individuals from across the state to collectively address the needs of cancer patients and their families across the state. To learn more about the SCCA and how you or your organization might become involved, call (800) 277-2345 or visit the website at http://www.sccanceralliance.org. For more information on SCOPE/SC or how you can contact your legislative representative to urge him or her to support funding for this program, contact us at that same number:  (800) 277-2345.

The American Cancer Society combines an unyielding passion with nearly a century of experience to save lives and end suffering from cancer. As a global grassroots force of more than three million volunteers, we fight for every birthday threatened by every cancer in every community. We save lives by helping people stay well by preventing cancer or detecting it early; by being there for them during and after a cancer diagnosis; by finding cures through investment in groundbreaking discovery; and by fighting back by rallying lawmakers to pass laws to defeat cancer and by rallying communities worldwide to join the fight. As the nation’s largest non-governmental investor in cancer research, contributing more than $3.4 billion, we turn what we know about cancer into what we do. As a result, more than 11 million people in America who have had cancer and countless more who have avoided it will be celebrating birthdays this year. To learn more about the American Cancer Society or to get help, call any time, day or night, at 1-800-227-2345 or visit cancer.org.