Iowa's new cancer plan to be unveiled at 2011 Cancer Summit

DES MOINES, IA – Each year, the Iowa Cancer Consortium (ICC) hosts the Iowa Cancer Summit, bringing together cancer survivors, health-care providers, researchers, public health professionals, and other Iowans to share information and best practices in cancer prevention, screening, treatment, and quality of life. This year's Summit, scheduled for October 3

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and 4

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at the West Des Moines Marriott, holds an air of extra excitement as the ICC unveils the 2012-2017 Iowa Cancer Plan.

The Iowa Cancer Plan provides direction for those involved in planning, implementing, and evaluating cancer control programs, research, and policy initiatives. It is also a resource for Iowans needing support and advocacy.

“The release of this new version of the Iowa Cancer Plan is significant for every Iowan who has been touched by cancer,” says ICC President George Weiner, MD. “Making progress against a disease that kills more than 6,000 Iowans each year takes a collaborative effort, a commitment to evidence-based programs and practices, research so we can accelerate progress, and persistence, all aiming for an Iowa that is free of the pain caused by cancer. This is the goal of the new cancer plan.”

The first version of the Iowa Cancer Plan was created by the ICC and its partners in 2003 to address critical cancer problems in Iowa. The 2012-2017 Cancer Plan is a revision of the comprehensive cancer control priorities for the state of Iowa.

Keynotes and break-out sessions at this year's Iowa Cancer Summit in West Des Moines revolve around the new Iowa Cancer Plan, including an address by Laura Seeff, MD, Chief of the Comprehensive Cancer Control Branch, Division of Cancer Prevention and Control at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Dr. Seeff will present “Collaborating for Cancer Control: A National Perspective.”

Also at the Iowa Cancer Summit, three Iowa cancer survivors whose stories appear in the 2012-2017 Iowa Cancer Plan will participate in a panel discussion regarding quality-of-life issues in cancer care from survivors' perspectives.

“I know firsthand the struggles, pain, and sadness that come with cancer,” says lung cancer survivor Gail Orcutt of Pleasant Hill. “The Iowa Cancer Plan may look like just a document, but in the hands of motivated Iowans, it is a powerful tool that provides hope for thousands of us who are touched by this frightening disease.”

One or more of the cancer survivor panelists will be available for interview at the Summit.

Iowa's Lt. Governor Kim Reynolds will provide a wrap-up for the event at 3 p.m. on October 4

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The Iowa Cancer Summit is sponsored by the American Cancer Society, Gilda's Club of the Quad Cities, University of Iowa Holden Comprehensive Cancer Center, Iowa Department of Public Health Comprehensive Cancer Control Program, Iowa Oncology Society, John Stoddard Cancer Center, Mercy Cancer Center, AstraZeneca Oncology, and the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society. A complete event brochure with an agenda and speakers is available at http://bit.ly/IowaCancerSummit

ABOUT THE IOWA CANCER CONSORTIUM

The Iowa Cancer Consortium (ICC) coordinates the efforts of hundreds of individuals and organizations working together to conquer cancer. Formed in 2001, the ICC developed a comprehensive state-wide plan that includes strategies designed to improve disease prevention, early detection, research, survivor-ship, and quality of life for people affected by cancer. More information is available online at

www.CancerIowa.org.