Tag Archives: cancer

DHEC Division One of Four Selected for Nationwide CDC Pilot for Cancer Survivorship

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The Division of Cancer Prevention, located in the Bureau of Chronic Disease and Injury Prevention, was one of four awardees nationwide selected by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to conduct a pilot project to address rural and urban disparities in cancer survivorship.

The pilot project, titled “Improving the Health and Wellness of Cancer Survivors in Rural Communities,” focused specifically on tele-mentoring strategies using Project ECHO (Extension for Community Healthcare Outcomes) to increase coordination and movement of knowledge between specialists and primary care providers. The internationally recognized Project ECHO offers a unique knowledge-sharing approach to create an online community that shares best-practices and case-based learning resources. This online model leverages technology to expand the reach and connectivity of providers in rural areas to subject-specific knowledge and specialists.

SC CCCP held monthly; one-hour Zoom sessions from October 2020 to February 2021. Topics included cancer pain management, sexuality and intimacy, and nutrition for cancer survivor patients. Each session was able to provide expert-delivered content that highlighted best-care practices and created a community of practice among oncologists, primary care providers, nurses, social workers, researchers, administrators, and other caregivers.

Over this ECHO series, the project reached 102 unique participants, with an average of 37 participants per session. Data from this pilot project was able to link providers in four rural counties with specialists in seven urban SC counties and four out-of-state sites. Providers who participated in the ECHO intervention reported up to 60% of their patient population reside in rural areas, which speaks to the intervention’s achievement in targeting rural patients for improved cancer care and outcomes.

“Residents in our rural counties often have less health care access including fewer health care workers, specialists such as cancer doctors, and transportation options,” said Sonya Younger, Comprehensive Cancer Control Program Director. “Rural residents are also more likely to be uninsured and to live farther away from health services. Through innovative telementoring, Project ECHO helped the Division of Cancer Prevention and Control increase rural provider workforce knowledge to provide best-practice, cancer specialty extended care.”

Visit the SC Cancer Alliance’s website to listen to the Cancer Survivorship Project ECHO recorded presentations at https://www.sccancer.org/events/cancer-survivorship-project-echo-recorded-presentations/ 

VIDEO INFORMATION 

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By utilizing the ECHO model to share knowledge and foster a clinical community, reaching widespread providers and other clinical professionals that service rural communities, the Division of Cancer Prevention and Control shows the core value of Inspiring Innovation and is an example of the agency strategies of Service and Accessibility and Education and Engagement.

Success was possible through the connectedness of the SC Cancer Division including Best Chance Network, Comprehensive Cancer Control, and Research and Planning program staff and its partners and providers, as well as virtual sessions and electronic communication, demonstrating DHEC’s core value of Promoting Teamwork. 

From Other Blogs: Food Insecurity in the United States, Preventing Varicose Veins, Breast Cancer Treatment

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A collection of health and environmental posts from other governmental blogs.

Food Insecurity in U.S. Households in 2018 is Down from 2017, Continuing Trend and Returning to Pre-Recession (2007) Level

In 2018, food insecurity returned to the pre-recession level of 11.1 percent, last observed in 2007. It is down from 11.8 percent in 2017 and a high of 14.9 percent in 2011. USDA’s Economic Research Service recently released its Household Food Security in the United States in 2018 on the incidence and severity of food insecurity in U.S. households. – From U.S. Department of Agriculture’s blog

What Can You Do About Varicose Veins

Varicose veins – they’re those dark blue or purple cord-like lines that show up on your legs and they are frustratingly common. But how much do you really know about the condition or how to address it? – From Flourish, Prisma Health’s blog

 

Getting the Right Treatment at the Right Time to Reduce Inequities in Breast Cancer Survival

Although death rates from breast cancer have been going down, the trend has not been equal among all women. Looking at breast cancer survival on a population level can tell us how effective our public health and health care systems are at early diagnosis, delivery of evidence-based treatment, and management of follow-up care. From The Topic is Cancer, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) blog

South Carolina Health at a Glance: Chronic Disease and Risk Factors (Part 3)

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Our next installment of the 2018 Live Healthy State Health Assessment summaries covers chronic disease and risk factors.  Because this section lists many chronic diseases that affect South Carolina, we will summarize in three sections. In our first section we summarized South Carolina findings on obesity, prediabetes, diabetes, hypertension, arthritis, heart disease, and stroke. The next section summarized physical activity, nutrition, and cigarette smoking.  Our last section will cover all cancers in South Carolina. Check out our previous posts:  overview of the report, South Carolina demographics, leading causes of death and hospitalization, cross-cutting, access to healthcare, and maternal and infant health.

In the United States, cancer remains a leading cause of death, second only to heart disease. In South Carolina, cancer has surpassed heart disease in recent years as the leading cause of death. South Carolina ranks 32nd in the nation for new cases of cancer, however ranks 14th for deaths due to cancer.  Approximately 50% to 75% of cancer deaths are caused by three preventable lifestyle factors: tobacco use, poor nutrition, and lack of exercise.

SC Cancer_Assessment

  • In 2016, 10,349 South Carolina residents died from cancer.
  • Cancer of the lung and bronchus contributed to the largest number of deaths for residents of South Carolina in 2016.
  • From 2006 to 2015 in South Carolina, the rate of new cases of cancer decreased from a high of 486.8 per 100,000 in 2006 to a low of 452.8 per 100,000 in 2015.
  • The counties in South Carolina with the highest rates of new cancers during 2011 to 2015 combined were Chester, Dorchester, Lee, Sumter, and Union.

SC Cancer by County_Assessment

Lung Cancer

  • While South Carolina ranks 32nd in the United States for new cases of all cancers combined, lung cancer poses a challenge in that South Carolina ranks 16th in comparison.
  • Lung cancer was the second leading cause of new cases of cancer in 2015. It was the leading cause of cancer deaths in 2016, claiming the lives of 2,701 South Carolina residents.
  • South Carolina’s rate of new cases of lung cancer decreased from a high of 74.4 per 100,000 population in 2006 to a low of 64.5 per 100,000 population in 2015.

In our last section about South Carolina’s chronic diseases and risk factors, we will summarize information about all cancers. For more detailed information about chronic diseases and risk factors that affect our state, visit https://www.livehealthysc.com/uploads/1/2/2/3/122303641/chronic_disease_and_risk_factors_sc_sha.pdf.

Female Breast Cancer

  • In South Carolina during 2016, 75.4% of women aged 50 to 74 years old, reported receiving a mammogram within the last two years.
  • In 2015 there was a total of 4,077 new cases of breast cancer, and of these, 1,306 were diagnosed as late-stage in South Carolina representing a rate of 42.9 per 100,000.
  • South Carolina had a higher breast cancer death rate than the United States in 2016.

Cervical Cancer

  • South Carolina ranks in the lowest quartile nationally for adolescents having received one or more doses of the HPV vaccine.
  • In 2016, 79.4% of women 21 to 65 years old reported having a Pap smear within the past three years.
  • Black women are diagnosed at a higher rate than White women in South Carolina (22% higher).

Colorectal Cancer

  • In 2015, there were 2,320 new cases of invasive colon and rectum cancer in South Carolina. South Carolina met the Healthy People 2020 goal of 39.9 new cases of colorectal cancer per 100,000 population.
  • More women (71.4%) received the recommended colorectal screening than men (66.5%) in 2016.
  • Non-Hispanic Blacks (45.8 cases per 100,000 population) had a higher rate of new cases of colorectal cancer compared to non-Hispanic Whites (38.1 cases per 100,000 population) in 2015.

Prostate Cancer

  • In 2016, 43.7% of men ages 40 years and older reported receiving a prostate-specific antigen (PSA) test within the past two years.
  • There were 3,521 new cases of prostate cancer in 2015 in South Carolina.
  • Non-Hispanic Black males (173.4 cases per 100,000)) had a higher rate of new cases of prostate cancer than non-Hispanic White males (97.8 cases per 100,000) in 2015.

For more information about South Carolina cancer statistics, read the full Chronic Disease and Risk Factors chapter of the 2018 State Health Assessment.

DHEC In the News:  How to check for swim advisories, SC cancer deaths declining, and DHEC grants extension for acute care hospital

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Here’s a look at health and environmental news around South Carolina.

Is there a swim advisory at your beach destination?: Here’s how to check

MYRTLE BEACH, S.C. (WYFF4.com) Are you headed to the beach one more time before summer ends? You might want to check to see if there is a swimming advisory in effect for your beach destination.

 

Report:  Cancer deaths decline in South Carolina, though issues persist

LEXINGTON, S.C. (Lexingtonsunnews.com) Though issues persist in minority populations and rural communities, the overall death rate from cancer in South Carolina is on the decline, according to a report by the S.C. Cancer Alliance (SCCA) and the S.C. Department of Health and Environmental Control (DHEC).

 

DHEC grants Trident Medical 9-month extension for expansion project

BERKELEY COUNTY, S.C. (Counton2.com) The South Carolina Department of Health is granting Trident Health a second nine-month extension of a certificate of need for a new 50-bed acute care hospital in Moncks Corner.

 

From Other Blogs: Insulated Lunch Bags for Food Safety, Health Tips for Emergencies, Breastfeeding for Cancer Prevention

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A collection of health and environmental posts from other governmental blogs.

Use an Insulated Lunch Bag to Keep Meals Safe

No matter your age, the end of summer is also a time of beginnings.  This means a new school year, new episodes of your favorite TV show and the start of football season.  Students, sports fans and outdoor enthusiasts all have one thing in common:  packed lunches.  – From U.S. Department of Agriculture’s blog

 

Good as Gold Prep Your Health Tips for All Seasons

Some things just age well:  jeans, wine, flannel sheets, and The Golden Girls.  That’s right, a 1980s sitcom about four single, women living, loving, and laughing together in Miami.  It lasted just 180 episodes.  Since going off the air in 1992, however, the show has regained some of its luster.

– From Public Health Matters, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Blog

 

Breastfeeding for Cancer Prevention

Did you know that breastfeeding can lower a mother’s risk for some cancers?  We are going to talk about the connection between breastfeeding and cancer prevention in honor of World Breastfeeding Week, an annual celebration the first week of August that recognizes global action to support women in their efforts to breastfeed. – From The Topic is Cancer, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Blog