An ambitious goal for the American Cancer Society is being touted by one of the top officials. He spoke at a forum Thursday in Sioux Falls.

Dr. Richard Wender the chief cancer control officer of the American Cancer Society is supporting an initiative to have 80 percent of Americans age 50 and older screened for colorectal cancer by the year 2018. Wender says great progress is being made. “Colorectal cancer is an extraordinary opportunity. Not only can we cure more cancers by finding them early, we can also prevent cancers.”

Wender states that improvements in the fight against cancer are happening across the board. “Survival (rates) are going up for every cancer and mortality rates are going down.”

However Wender is under no illusions that obstacles exist in getting people tested. “If people don’t have health insurance, that’s a tremendous barrier. What we’re doing to try to help everyone to be screened is working with our community health care centers and our federally qualified health centers that provide care for people without health insurance.”

Currently colon cancer is the third most common cause of cancer for both men and women in the U.S. Also the American Cancer Society states that one in three adults age 50 and older are not tested as often as recommended.

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