On behalf of the Colorectal Cancer Roundtable planning committee, thank you to those who participated in this lively discussion on how to increase screening rates and reduce deaths throughout Minnesota.
As a result of group consensus, the goal moving forward will be to increase colorectal cancer screening rates to 75 percent to reduce the number of statewide deaths from colorectal cancer to fewer than 500 by the end of 2010.
Looking ahead, Institute for Clinical Systems Improvement will summarize the ideas generated and the Minnesota Cancer Alliance will convene an e-learning collaborative to move these ideas forward.
In Minnesota, colorectal cancer is the second leading cause of cancer death, with only lung cancer killing more people. According to the American Cancer Society, approximately 850 people in Minnesota die from colorectal cancer each year, and about 2,400 new cases are diagnosed each year.
In addition to participants, the roundtable planning committee thanks Medica for hosting and the Minnesota Cancer Alliance and the American Cancer Society for co-sponsoring the event.
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