Santa Fe New Mexican

March 27, 2008

State gets 'A' from colon cancer group

The National Colorectal Cancer Research Alliance has given New Mexico an A grade in its 2008 Legislation Report Card.

The state earned top marks for the first time for requiring insurance companies to cover a range of colon cancer screenings, said the alliance, which includes 11 anti-cancer groups.

Early detection of the disease is key, the alliance said.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has said as many as 60 percent of colon cancer deaths could be avoided if everyone age 50 and older were regularly screened.

"The new laws enacted will give more Americans the opportunity to stop colon cancer before it starts," said Daniel E. Smith, president of the American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network.

New Mexico joins 18 other states that received A grades in 2008. More than 25 states got either a D or F.