Topeka ? More education, early detection, higher cigarette taxes and better diet are the best ways to reduce the incidence of cancer in Kansas, according to a partnership of private and public health agencies working to curb the disease.

“The reality is that cancer places a heavy burden on the state of Kansas,” Gov. Kathleen Sebelius said Thursday at a news conference unveiling the Kansas Comprehensive Cancer Control and Prevention Plan. “The good news is that many cancers are preventable.”

Each year, more than 12,000 Kansans are diagnosed with cancer, and more than 5,400 die from the disease. The chance of having cancer in a Kansan’s lifetime is 45 percent for men and 41 percent for women.

Dr. Gary Doolittle, chairman of the Kansas Cancer Partnership, which developed the state plan, said the state has many assets and resources for fighting cancer but some barriers.

“These barriers include unequal access to cancer screening, diagnosis and treatment among various ethnic groups and among members of socio-economic classes and an insufficient number of trained oncologists in the state,” said Doolittle, who is an associate professor at Kansas University Medical Center.

The Kansas Cancer Partnership, which includes 70 organizations and agencies, recommended increased education about prevention and early detection, which can help reduce the incidence and severity of many cancers, including breast, cervical, colorectal, lung, prostate and skin.

The plan also calls for improved access to treatment and to information on how to survive with cancer and end-of-life issues.

One of the group’s goals is to increase the state tax on cigarettes in 2007 from 79 cents per pack to $1.25 per pack. The group said it hoped to reduce the rate of adults smoking from 22 percent to less than 15 percent.

Lawrence cancer survivor wins national award (03-24-05) Kansas Cancer Control Plan (.pdf)

No price tag was put on the group’s plan, which provides goals and recommendations through 2010. Representatives said the group hopes to tap into grant funds to push its effort forward.

A copy of the plan is available at www.kdhe.state.ks.us.