The Iowa Consortium for Comprehensive Cancer Control aims to further reduce the pain and suffering cancer causes. The Consortium is chaired by George Weiner, MD, Director of the Holden Comprehensive Cancer Center at University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics.

The Iowa Consortium for Comprehensive Cancer Control is a consortium composed of more than 50 organizations and 100 individuals interested in various aspects of cancer control, with the main focus being to decrease the pain and suffering from cancer in Iowa, Weiner says. "That includes looking at cancer prevention, at early detection, at optimizing cancer therapy and at focusing on quality of life issues related to cancer, as well.

"The Consortium is run through the Iowa Department of Public Health so they're very involved. We also work closely with the American Cancer Society. The Holden Comprehensive Cancer Center plays a central role as well, as does the College of Public Health here at The University of Iowa.

"We have participants from other organizations such as the Susan Komen Foundation, from various hospice organizations around the state, other hospitals and other clinics. I'm sure I will leave some important people out, but it's basically a very diverse and very committed group of people, all with the same goals in mind, in taking the tools we have and bringing new resources into the fight against cancer," he says.

The Consortium is funded largely by a grant from the Center for Disease Control through the Iowa Department of Public Health, and the Iowa Department of Public Health also contributes significantly to the Consortium.

"The most important contributor is the in-kind contribution of the members and the organizations involved. The overall budget for the Consortium is relatively small. The Consortium brings together the people with an interest in cancer control so we can make best use of the resources and the skills that each organization brings to the fight," Weiner says.

One of the top Consortium priorities is to deal with tobacco use, particularly among young people. "There is no question that smoking is the primary cause of preventable cancer in the United States and Iowa. It is also no question that the best way to decrease smoking by teenagers is actually to increase the price of cigarettes.

"One of the prime focuses of the Consortium is working to increase the price of cigarettes, not as a way of generating funds, but as a way of decreasing smoking by teenagers and, down the road, decreasing death and suffering from cancer that would result.

"We're also interested in cancer screening, such as screening for colorectal cancer, and have a number of implementation groups working across the state on various other aspects of cancer control, as well."

The Consortium relies on Iowans stepping up and helping. "We have a Web page, www.canceriowa.org, that has resources for people in Iowa to either get cancer care or cancer screening or just to learn more about cancer and what's going on across the state in those areas.

"I also wear another hat, and that's as the director of the Holden Comprehensive Cancer Center at The University of Iowa. One of the advantages to doing both jobs is it helps taking those new research advances that come from all the different research programs we have at the University and doing the best we can to bring them to the people of Iowa as quickly as we can.

"It's hard to eliminate the risks of cancer. What we can do is decrease the risks. I mentioned tobacco, which would probably be number one. When you really look at the death and suffering caused by tobacco, all other preventable causes of cancer pale in response.

"Being fit and healthy also makes a big difference and people involved with Lighten Up Iowa are very involved with the Consortium.

"We also work to teach children about issues related to sun exposure. Certainly in Iowa and other states, there's clear evidence that sunburns are associated with development of melanoma which is one of the deadliest forms of skin cancer. Those are three issues related to every day behavior that the Consortium is focused on," Weiner says.

For more information:

Iowa Consortium for Comprehensive Cancer Control

Holden Comprehensive Cancer Center

George Weiner, MD