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New colon cancer screening guidelines for African-Americans
HealthPartners lowers recommended screening age to 45
September 25, 2006
BLOOMINGTON, Minn. – Following new guidelines from the Institute for Clinical Systems Improvement, HealthPartners is recommending that African-Americans be screened for colon cancer beginning at age 45, five years earlier than other people. Colon cancer is the leading cause of cancer-related deaths among African-Americans who have earlier onset of the disease and higher incidence and mortality rates than whites.
"It is particularly tragic that African-Americans are more likely to die of colorectal cancer than any other racial or ethnic group especially because this type of cancer can be prevented and cured 90 percent of the time if detected early," said Gail Amundson, M.D., HealthPartners medical director for Quality, Measurement and Provider Incentives.
A colonoscopy allows physicians to visually examine the entire colon and remove polyps that might turn cancerous. For those considered to be at higher risk because of family history or previous polyps, testing may be recommended even earlier or more frequently. Other options for colorectal cancer screening include: Fecal Occult Blood Test (FOBT) and Flexible Sigmoidoscopy.
The new recommendation is part of HealthPartners commitment to eliminating health care disparities. In its landmark report, Unequal Treatment the Institute of Medicine found that racial and ethnic minorities tend to receive lower-quality health care than whites, regardless of insurance status, income, age, and severity of condition. "This new guideline promises significant improvement in reducing health care disparities for African-Americans," said Dr. Amundson.
About HealthPartners
Founded in 1957, the HealthPartners (www.healthpartners.com) family of healthcare companies serve more than one million medical and dental health plan members nationwide. It is the largest consumer-governed, nonprofit health care organization in the nation, providing care, coverage, research and education to improve the health of members, patients and the community. For the third year in a row, HealthPartners is rated one of the best commercial health plans in the nation by U.S. News & World Report, NCQA's "America's Best Health Plans 2007" and is ranked "Highest in Member Satisfaction among Commercial Health Plans in the Minnesota-Wisconsin Region" by J.D. Power and Associates.
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