Dartmouth Medical School professor Lynn Butterly, director of colorectal cancer screening at Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center, will be the medical director for a new statewide Colorectal Cancer Screening Program. The program is funded by a $3.5 million grant given to New Hampshire by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
The grant, to be used over five years, will fund efforts to raise the colorectal cancer screening rate to 80 percent for state residents over age 50. The screening program will partner with the New Hampshire Division of Public Health Services and the New Hampshire Comprehensive Cancer Collaboration.
Colorectal cancer is the second most common cancer killer in America, even though it is one of the few cancers that can be prevented, Butterly said in an interview with The Dartmouth.
"Evidence shows that screening for colorectal cancer is effective in decreasing morbidity and mortality for colorectal cancer, and affords the ability for true prevention," Butterly said. "It's not just that you catch it early it's that some people don't get it at all."
As a result of colon cancer screening, doctors can remove pre-cancerous polyps before they become malignant.
"Mammograms can catch cancer at an early stage, but colonoscopies can prevent cancer if you remove the polyp," Joanne Gersten, the project manager for News Hampshire's screening program, said in an interview.
Butterly said the CDC grant will be used to develop reminder systems for patients and increase awareness about the need for screening among patients and health care providers. In addition, Butterly said the grant will be used to work with employers, insurers and the New Hampshire state government to address screening barriers.
"There is an enormous spectrum of activity that we need to undertake over the next few years that will make it possible for 80 percent of eligible patients to get screening," Butterly said.
A very small portion of the grant will fund colonoscopies for uninsured and low income patients, Butterly said. The screening program is also intended to help lower income patients by encouraging employers to allow their workers to take days off to get colonoscopies.
The CDC distributed a total of $22 million to 22 states and four tribal organizations to increase the rate of colorectal cancer screening.
Eliza Relman contributed to the reporting of this article.
