Legislators, cancer survivors and advocates celebrate funding for breast, cervical cancer screening

COLUMBIA - Cancer survivors and advocates today applauded members of the S.C. General Assembly for expanding the Best Chance Network, a program providing critical breast and cervical cancer screening for lowincome, uninsured South Carolina women.

This first-ever state allocation of $2 million provides an additional 9,000 women with access to life-saving cancer screening. By Sept.1, 2008, the S.C. Department of Health and Environmental Control will lower the Best Chance Network eligibility age from 47 to 40, making the program consistent with American Cancer Society screening guidelines.

"The Best Chance Network has provided 191,260 screenings since July of 1991," said DHEC Deputy Commissioner for Health Services Lisa F. Waddell, M.D., MPH. "With the new funding there can be even more screenings and follow-ups to benefit women in our state."

Dr. Waddell said the Best Chance Network screened 8,858 women during the 2006- 2007 fiscal year. Of that number, 1,222 were identified as having breast follow-ups with 74 percent having normal clinical breast exams but abnormal mammograms.

"On behalf of women and families throughout South Carolina impacted by breast and cervical cancer, we Thank the members of the State Legislature," said Mary Lynn Faunda Donovan, breast cancer survivor and executive director of the Upstate Affiliate of Susan G. Komen for the Cure and chair of the Advocacy and Policy Taskforce of the S.C. Cancer Alliance.

"This funding will save the lives of many women in our state and ensure that fewer people will lose a loved one to these devastating diseases," Donovan said.

According to the American Cancer Society's Cancer Facts and Figure 2008, an estimated 2,690 South Carolina women will be diagnosed with breast and cervical cancer this year, and 685 will die of these diseases. South Carolina ranks ninth in the country for deaths due to cervical cancer. The chances of surviving breast or cervical cancer increases dramatically if detected early. However, uninsured cancer patients are 60 percent more likely to die from cancer than those with insurance, due to in part to less access to screening, according to a study of all types of cancer by the American Cancer Society.

The Best Chance Network is a part of the National Breast and Cervical Cancer Early Detection Program and implemented through the S.C. Department of Health and Environmental Control and the American Cancer Society. Since 1991, the Best Chance Network has received federal funding to screen eligible women, but this is the first time state funds have been allocated for screening.