14-04-2025
Screening Saves Lives: Working Together To Promote Early Cancer Detection
By Christina Hernandez Sherwood
Since its peak in 1991, the cancer death rate has dropped 34%, averting an estimated 4.5 million deaths due, in part, to earlier detection of the most common types of cancer.
Screening tests are critical in early detection because they can find cancer before symptoms appear, when treatment is more likely to be successful. That's why the American Cancer Society (ACS) strongly advocates for early detection and works with corporate partners to amplify this message.
For example, when the rate of cancer screening tests dropped during the pandemic, the American Cancer Society launched the Get Screened campaign with founding partner Genentech to promote screening resources and recommendations. In 2023, the campaign was renamed I Love You Get ScreenedTM, and while rates have somewhat rebounded, there are still large portions of the screening-age population that are not up to date.
Laura Makaroff
To address this ongoing issue, ACS recently introduced the cancer risk assessment tool ACS CancerRisk360TM with support from Pfizer to help people understand their risk factors, such as family history and lifestyle, and take action to address them.
Corporate partnerships that cross sectors and disciplines bring diverse expertise, resources and innovations to accelerate progress against cancer, said Laura Makaroff, DO, senior vice president of cancer prevention at the American Cancer Society.
'Cancer is a complex public health challenge that requires collaborative solutions,' Makaroff said. 'Partnerships are essential to ACS' efforts in prevention and early detection.'
Here's how the American Cancer Society has collaborated with three corporate partners to get millions of people screened for cancer.
For more than 40 years, the American Cancer Society and biotechnology company Genentech, a member of the Roche Group, have worked together to improve cancer outcomes.
After serving as a founding sponsor of the Get Screened campaign, Genentech again worked alongside ACS in 2023 on the national education campaign Cancer Screen Week. This initiative supported cancer screening efforts in Chicago's Bronzeville neighborhood and the Love Letters For Cancer Screening awareness program that focused on Black and Latina women. The organizations expanded their work together in 2024 and 2025 with cancer screening and navigation pilots in Georgia, Ohio and Oregon designed to address barriers to cancer care related to transportation, food and housing. These initiatives have led to more than 1.4 million cancer screening tests and some 18,000 cancer diagnoses.
Levi Garraway
'Screening is an integral part of the fight against cancer,' said Levi Garraway, head of global product development and chief medical officer at Roche and Genentech. 'We have worked hard to expand access to cancer screening for everyone, including populations that may encounter barriers to sufficient health care. Our commitment to provide more accessible cancer care remains strong, yet we recognize there is more work ahead as we continue to improve health outcomes for all people impacted by cancer.'
The American Cancer Society named Pfizer its 2024 Corporate Partner of the Year, reflecting the organizations' joint efforts over several years to improve access to cancer screening and quality care.
Tina Deignan
One such initiative launched last year, Change the Odds: Uniting to Improve Cancer Outcomes, is a three-year American Cancer Society effort sponsored by Pfizer that is designed to improve health outcomes in underserved communities. It aims to do this by enhancing awareness of and access to cancer screenings, clinical trial opportunities, and patient support and comprehensive navigation. Change the Odds is initially focusing on breast and prostate cancers with the potential to expand to other types.
'Breakthrough medicines can't save lives if they can't reach the patients who need them,' said Tina Deignan, commercial president of Pfizer Oncology. 'Through our longstanding efforts with the American Cancer Society, we are working to address barriers to screening and treatment so everyone impacted by cancer can receive the care they deserve.'
The American Cancer Society expanded funding for lung cancer screening in 2024 with support from Merck and other partners. Lung cancer, the second most commonly diagnosed cancer in the U.S. — and the most common cause of cancer death — disproportionately affects people with lower socioeconomic status.
Linda Kollmar
Merck is one of the partners supporting the Get Screened campaign. This effort promotes lung cancer screening in communities with historical inequities through mobile screening, community outreach and patient navigation. It aims to reach up to 10,000 additional eligible individuals.
'Our company aligns with the ACS mission to address high disparities in cancer care,' said Linda Kollmar, associate vice president of patient innovation and engagement value and implementation at Merck Research Laboratories. 'It's critical that we understand, respect and honor the life experiences of patient communities.'
Partnerships help the American Cancer Society move its mission forward by breaking down barriers for people along the cancer continuum, Makaroff said.
'These meaningful collaborations inspire the necessary action and enable critical resources to make advancements in prevention, early detection and the treatment of cancer, ultimately changing and saving more lives.'
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