Cancer is the second leading cause of death in Texas, taking a significant toll on the lives of cancer victims, their families and causing more than $40.3 billion in direct costs annually. More than 46,000 Texans are expected to lose their lives to cancer in 2021 and 131,610 will receive a cancer diagnosis. Health outcomes are improved with prevention and early detection of cancer, but geographic, demographic and socioeconomic variables in Texas present challenges to healthcare statewide.
Texas Health and Human Services Commission (HHSC) is requesting Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) RFA-DP22-22-2 funds to address the complex causes of healthcare and cancer disparities in Texas. This will be accomplished by funding all three DP22-2202 grant components: The National Breast and Cervical Cancer Early Detection Program (NBCCEDP), the National Comprehensive Cancer Control Program (NCCCP), and the National Program of Cancer Registries (NPCR). The grant will be administered by Texas Breast and Cervical Cancer Services (BCCS), Texas Cancer Registry (TCR) and Texas Comprehensive Cancer Control Program (TCCCP) over a five-year period. Programs will collectively deliver high quality breast and cervical cancer screening services, support cancer coalitions, implement cancer control priorities and increase cancer surveillance.
TCCCP will coordinate with the state’s cancer coalition, the Cancer Alliance of Texas (CAT), to reduce the burden of cancer in Texas. TCCCP and CAT will implement targeted interventions to improve primary prevention and screening and early detection of liver, lung, colorectal, breast, and cervical cancers. TCCCP will also implement interventions to improve access to physical activity and other supportive services for cancer survivors. The proposed activities will address cancer risk factors and outcomes in disparate populations, strengthen the state cancer coalition, and position the coalition and its partners for more effective statewide implementation of the Texas Cancer Plan.
BCCS will deliver direct services, collaborations, patient navigation and targeted systems change activities to address health disparities in priority populations. The program will provide breast and cervical cancer screening and diagnostic services to low-income, uninsured and underinsured women. The program will expand a successful pilot project to reduce cervical cancer screening barriers within health systems using key evidence-based strategies.
TCR will maintain a high quality nationally certified statewide population-based cancer registry with complete, timely, and accurate data. TCR is a combination active and passive surveillance system responsible for the collection, maintenance, and dissemination of high-quality population-based cancer data and makes a significant contribution to the fight against cancer.
Funding will build upon the accomplishments of the DP17-2202 grant and provide a comprehensive and coordinated approach to inform Texas policy, systems and environmental changes to lessen the state cancer burden and promote health equity. The collaborative approach to cancer control will fulfill the mission of decreased cancer incidence, morbidity and mortality statewide.