The American Cancer Society to Launch Breast Cancer and Cervical Cancer Roundtables to Drive Greater Progress

ATLANTA, Feb. 11, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- The American Cancer Society will launch two national roundtables – one focused on cervical cancer, the other breast cancer – to bring together leading organizations and experts to drive progress and improve the lives of cancer patients and their families. ACS has established this convening model as a proven structure for collaboration and impact for more than two decades.

ACS' announcement follows President Biden's relaunch of the Cancer Moonshot, which calls for additional cancer roundtables and prioritizes equitable access to the prevention, screening/early detection, and diagnosis of cancer. The new roundtables also align with the President's Cancer Panel and their newly released report, Closing Gaps in Cancer Screening: Connecting People, Communities, and Systems to Improve Equity and Access. Additionally, the roundtables are consistent with the ACS National Consortium for Cancer Screening and Care recommendations to accelerate the adoption of evidence-based cancer screening intervention and policies through coordinated efforts from roundtables and coalitions.

"The President's Cancer Panel immediately recognized the value in roundtables as a proven model to break down silos across organizations and sectors and to tackle those challenging problems that no one organization can solve alone," said John P. Williams, M.D., F.A.C.S., chair of the President's Cancer Panel and a member of the ACS National Consortium for Cancer Screening and Care. "We are inspired that the ACS is willing to step up, respond to the call, and expand its roundtable initiatives to further reduce the burden of cancer across the country."

The National Breast Cancer Roundtable and National Cervical Cancer Roundtable will build upon the successful history of ACS-led roundtables that began in 1997. In partnership with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, ACS established the National Colorectal Cancer Roundtable, which was followed by the addition of national roundtables focused on HPV vaccination, patient navigation, and lung cancer. Roundtables succeed by bringing together leading advocacy organizations, professional societies, government agencies, cancer centers, community organizations, academic institutions, health plans, and other key partners to share resources and expertise to drive progress on cancer priorities that are most challenging. In expanding its commitment to national cancer roundtables to include breast and cervical cancer, ACS will provide additional leadership to prioritize cancer prevention and screening as essential public health priorities more comprehensively and aggressively. 

"The American Cancer Society and the American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network stand shoulder to shoulder with the President, and we are prepared to lead," said Dr. Karen E. Knudsen, CEO of ACS and ACS CAN. "We are the recognized leader for cancer roundtables, and we are well positioned to quickly develop these new roundtables, foster collaboration, and increase the collective impact against cancer."

The urgency to increase progress against breast and cervical cancer is underscored by recent scientific data and analysis. ACS found that 290,560 new cases of breast cancer and 43,780 deaths are expected in 2022, with an additional 14,100 new cases and 4,280 deaths from cervical cancer. The data also underscore the focus on health equity. Black women are 4 percent less likely than white women to be diagnosed with breast cancer; yet, they have a 41 percent higher chance of dying from the disease. In fact, breast cancer is now the leading cause of death for Black women. Similarly, Black women are 18 percent more likely than white women to be diagnosed with cervical cancer yet have a 52 percent higher chance of dying compared to white women.  A focus on cervical cancer presents an additional unique opportunity. While no cancer has ever been completely eliminated, the American Cancer Society believes that eliminating cervical cancer is a very real possibility.

More effective and equitable implementation of cancer screening offers significant potential to accelerate the decline in cancer deaths and, in some cases, prevent cancer through detection and removal of precancerous lesions, according to the President's Cancer Panel. 

SOURCE American Cancer Society