Implementing Cancer Prevention into Clinical Practice

Cancer prevention has been associated with decreased rates of cancer incidence and increased survival. Cancer prevention, however, can have a greater impact if barriers to implementing cancer prevention into practice are removed and opportunities are both fostered and seized. The purpose of this article is to identify barriers and opportunities to cancer prevention in clinical practice and provide recommendations for the future. A multidisciplinary team participated in “The Future Directions Cancer Prevention and Control: Workforce Implications for Training, Practice and Policy” workshop on October 17–18, 2009 at The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston, TX. During the meeting, the team discussed barriers and opportunities for the implementation of cancer prevention into clinical practice. Further data were collected from peer-reviewed journals and published government and cancer agencies reports. Several issues were identified: (1) The funding allocated to basic cancer prevention research and application is not optimal and less than that for cancer treatment; (2) participation in cancer prevention behaviors and screening practices are lower than desired, especially among the uninsured; (3) a shortage in healthcare professionals is a major challenge in meeting the future needs of cancer prevention; (4) demands on medical schools to balance increased enrollment, incorporate cancer prevention in an already crowded curriculum, and develop faculty are daunting; and (5) healthcare reforms in 2010 provide both opportunities and additional challenges for cancer prevention. Based on the current state of cancer prevention, we formed six recommendations: (1) additional funding for cancer prevention research with a focus on implementation into practice, (2) improved tracking of cancer prevention research funding and the outcomes associated with it, (3) continued monitoring of cancer prevention services participation with emphasis on closing the gap in health disparities, (4) financial and technical assistance to healthcare professional schools for incorporating cancer prevention into curricula, (5) assessment of the current state of technology in cancer prevention care, and (6) the use of effective multidisciplinary teams in cancer prevention care. Improved delivery of cancer prevention services can have a tremendous impact on cancer incidence and survival rates.