News from the Wisconsin Cancer Collaborative | January 2023

Each January, The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Wisconsin Department of Health Services celebrate Radon Action Month to help people understand what radon is, its risk to health, how to test for it, and how to fix it.

Radon is an odorless gas that naturally occurs in the ground underneath homes, schools, and other buildings. Exposure to radon is the leading cause of lung cancer among people who have never smoked, and the second-leading cause of lung cancer overall.

Visit the Wisconsin Radon Program’s website for more information. 

January is Cervical Health Awareness Month. An estimated 14,100 women in the United States received a diagnosis of cervical cancer and 4,280 died from the disease last year, according to the National Cancer Institute. Increasing HPV vaccination efforts and routine screening are key components in preventing cervical cancer and identifying and treating cervical cancer early.

We've curated a list of cervical cancer resources you can use throughout this month and beyond to promote awareness of cervical cancer screening.

By: Noelle LoConte, MD

Cost Plus Drugs is a newer online only direct-to-consumer pharmacy which may have significant cost savings benefits for hematology and oncology patients. Cost Plus Drugs was launched in early 2022 and offers only generic medications bought directly from the manufacturer with a flat 15% markup plus a $3 pharmacy fee and a $5 shipping fee. For most patients (especially patients without prescription drug coverage) this will likely represent a significant reduction in out-of-pocket costs.

There are many cancer-related medications on the Cost Plus Drugs formulary at this time including multiple hormonal oral therapies (anastrazole, letrozole and tamoxifen), imatinib, methotrexate and temozolomide. There are also many supportive care medications available, including antiemetics (aprepitant, dexamethasone, granisetron, ondansetron, prednisone and promethazine), as well as limited pain medications (lidocaine patches, diclofenac). There are also a host of medications for other medical conditions, including medications for chronic medical conditions as well as antibiotics and antivirals.

It is recommended that oncologists and other cancer care providers remain aware of the oncology medications available on Cost Plus Drugs and encourage their patient to review the available medications as a way to reduce financial toxicity. One possible concern is that one pharmacy will not know all of the medications that a patient is getting if they can only get some of their medications from Cost Plus Drugs, for example. For this reason, embedded oncology pharmacists in cancer clinics can be especially helpful to evaluate for drug-drug interactions, appropriate dosing and monitoring and pharmaceutical counseling for patients.

View the references from this article.

Carrie Kilman, the Wisconsin Cancer Collaborative’s former Communications Manager, left her role with WCC in October to join the Wisconsin Historical Society Press. Carrie joined the WCC staff in 2017, and quickly made her mark on our communications with members.

Shortly after she joined the staff, Carrie organized the first-ever Survivors Panel at the 2019 Wisconsin Cancer Summit that brought together community members to share their personal stories. Most recently, Carrie organized the powerful and moving staged reading of Cancer Stories in partnership with the Wisconsin Story Project.

She was the editor of our monthly publication ENGAGE, as well as resources on cancer care, prevention, and control. Carrie guided our organization’s communication voice for over five years and we are grateful for her leadership, dedication, and friendship.

Congratulations on your new role Carrie!

To submit an announcement for an upcoming newsletter, please email us!

Starting this month, Medicare will now cover colorectal cancer screenings starting at age 45 years for those with an average risk, a reduction in the previous minimum age of 50 years. Furthermore, Medicare beneficiaries will no longer face out-of-pocket costs for a colonoscopy if they receive a positive result on a non-invasive colorectal cancer screening tests like FIT or stool-DNA (i.e.: Cologuard). As a result, people on Medicare will not have out-of-pocket costs for both tests.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR) recently released updated guidelines for investigating patterns of disease in communities. The new report, “Guidelines for Examining Unusual Patterns of Cancer and Environmental Concerns”, includes recommendations for health departments to consider proactive evaluation of registry data to look for unusual patterns of cancer, and greater engagement with community members.

A new survey by the Young Survival Coalition is open. The survey, titled Project528, is the first-ever global effort to identify the most pressing needs of the young breast cancer community and share them across languages and continents to improve the quality of care for all.

This survey is for those diagnosed with breast cancer, their caregivers and the healthcare providers that serve them. Please distribute the survey widely to breast cancer survivors who were diagnosed at 40 or younger, and their support people.

The American Cancer Society National Roundtable on Cervical Cancer (ACS NRTCC) is disseminating a survey to help identify the priorities of the Roundtable. From these findings, ACS NRTCC can work towards equity by systematically assessing disparities in opportunities, outcomes, and representation through targeted actions. The survey runs until 1/20/23.

Linked below is a 10 minute survey. Please share widely.

The COVID-19 pandemic led to substantial declines in HPV vaccinations among adolescents. To assist with getting back on track, the American Cancer Society’s National HPV Vaccination Roundtable has developed the “Start at Age 9” toolkit that can be used by healthcare providers in practice and clinics.

Study Finds Americans Have a Low Awareness of the Link Between Alcohol Use and Increased Cancer Risk 

Despite conclusive evidence of the cancer risk of alcohol consumption, more than 50% of Americans are unaware of this risk (and some believe alcohol has health benefits) according to the results from a study published in the journal Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers & Prevention. The study findings demonstrate the need to educate the public about the link between alcohol use and cancer risk.

This toolkit for employers outlines six Guiding Principles for Promoting High Quality Cancer Care in order to promote and support the highest quality of cancer care for plan members and their families.

Find more resources, reports, and CMEs in our online Resource Center.