President's Cancer Panel

Closing Gaps in Cancer Screening:

Connecting People, Communities, and Systems to Improve Equity and Access

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PART 2

Taking Action to Close Gaps in Cancer Screening

Cancer screening has the potential to save lives and reduce the burden of cancer on individuals, families, communities, and the nation. While many in the United States benefit from cancer screening, too many are left behind, resulting in unnecessary suffering and death. Strategies and tools needed to address the current gaps in cancer screening and follow-up care after an abnormal screening test result are available, but they must be innovatively and collaboratively applied to equitably reach all populations. In this report, the Panel identifies four critical goals for connecting people, communities, and systems to improve equity and access in cancer screening (Figure 2). Implementation of the Panel's recommendations will improve communication, facilitate equitable access, promote team-based care, and harness technology to support patients and providers.

Figure 2

President's Cancer Panel Goals and Recommendations

Graphic with four boxes. Each box includes a goal with associated recommendations and an icon.
Goal 1:  Improve and align communication. Icon is a person speaking. Recommendations: (1) Conduct large- and small-scale communications campaigns, (2) Create and expand National Cancer Roundtables. Goal 2: Facilitate equitable access. Icon is a scale at equilibrium. Recommendations: (1) Provide and fund community-oriented outreach and support, (2) Increase access to self-sampling. Goal 3: Strengthen workforce collaborations. Icon is people with a healthcare insignia. Recommendations: (1) Empower healthcare team members, (2) Expand access to genetic testing and counseling. Goal 4: Create effective health information technology. Icon is a doctor using a computer in front of a patient. Recommendations: (1) Create computable guidelines, (2) Create and deploy clinical decision support tools.