U.S. Senator Katie Britt, R-Alabama, highlighted her support Monday for bipartisan legislation that would expand access to early colorectal cancer screenings.
The Colorectal Cancer Early Detection Act, introduced by Britt and U.S. Senator Jon Ossoff, D-Georgia, last week, would provide funding to states to help individuals access colorectal cancer screenings.
The legislation comes amid increased rates of colorectal cancer in younger Americans. The cancer is now the leading cause of cancer-related death for Americans under 50, despite the disease being highly preventable and treatable when detected early.
“The staggering rise in colorectal cancer we’re seeing across the country demands action,” Britt said in a Monday written statement. “We know that this especially aggressive cancer is affecting younger Americans now more than ever.”
“We must give states and health care providers the resources they need to better inform and treat the public, which is why I’m proud to introduce this legislation with Senator Ossoff,” Britt added.
The legislation would authorize the U.S. secretary of health and human services and the director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to administer competitive, state-level grants “for the purpose of increasing awareness and education for colorectal cancer and early detection of colorectal cancer” in patients younger than 45.
The bill cites estimates that colorectal cancer cases among individuals ages 20 to 39 will increase by 90 percent by 2030, when the disease is expected to become the leading cause of cancer-related deaths for individuals under 50.
According to the National Institutes of Health, 2,700 Alabamians will be diagnosed with colorectal cancer in 2026. Since the early 2000s, colorectal cancer cases among Alabamians under 50 have increased from roughly 9 per 100,000 people to 12 per 100,000 people in 2022.
“Early cancer detection saves lives, and too many Georgians have shared heartbreaking stories with me about losing loved ones to colorectal cancer,” Ossoff said. “I’m introducing this bipartisan bill with Senator Britt to expand early detection of colorectal cancer and better protect young Georgians from this devastating disease.”
The bill’s sponsors argued the legislation, if enacted, would help increase public awareness of colorectal cancer while supporting health care professionals treating the disease.
In a Monday statement, Alabama leadership of the American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network thanked Britt and Ossoff for introducing the legislation, stating that it would strengthen cancer research and prevention while promoting early detection among patients.
“We are grateful for Senators Katie Britt and Jon Ossoff for continuing to be champions for cancer patients and their families. Both have supported key legislative priorities for ACS CAN, including increased funding for cancer research and prevention,” said ACS CAN Alabama Government Relations Director Caitlin Adams. “Their bipartisan leadership on these issues is helping bring hope, earlier detection and better outcomes to families facing cancer. ACS CAN looks forward to learning more about their most recent legislation and continuing to work with them to end cancer as we know it, for everyone.”
Britt’s office also highlighted the senator’s support for the Access to Breast Cancer Diagnosis Act, bipartisan, bicameral legislation seeking to eliminate out-of-pocket costs for diagnostic breast cancer tests.
Britt has additionally led bills related to women’s health, including the Rural Obstetrics Readiness Act, the Women’s Heart Health Expansion Act and the NIH IMPROVE Act.
