A recent report from the American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network (ACS CAN) shows that health professionals are making progress to improve cancer policies, designed to step up the national fight against cancer.
Many of the American states have passed up opportunities to approve and apply legislative solutions against cancer. Despite this, the report suggests that some areas are still making progress against the disease.
“How Do You Measure Up?: A Progress Report on State Legislative Activity to Reduce Cancer Incidence and Mortality” rates states according to their strength of implementing cancer policies. Such policies will help the nation stop cancer, which kills over 1,600 people each day in the U.S.
“We’ve learned so much in the last decade when it comes to preventing, screening and better treating cancer,” Chris Hansen, president of ACS CAN, said. “State lawmakers play an important role in putting that knowledge into practice. By enacting evidence-based policies, state lawmakers can help reduce suffering and death from cancer and improve the financial health of their states.”
One goal is to improve heathy lifestyles; achieving this will help the U.S. to fight its national cancer statistics.
“Nearly half of all cancer deaths could be prevented if everyone were to stop using tobacco, eat healthy foods in moderation, exercise regularly and get recommended screenings,” Hansen said. “But without policies in place to make this a reality for all, cancer will continue on its course to claim more than half a million people in America this year alone. While states are making progress passing policies to eliminate barriers to the prevention and treatment of cancer, most are still missing opportunities to have a significant impact in reducing the cancer burden in their states.”
