What Is Comprehensive Cancer Control?

Comprehensive cancer control (CCC) is an approach that brings together key partners and organizations to develop a plan to reduce the number of community members who get or die from cancer. The CCC plan focuses on cancers that cause the most burden in the community, and uses methods that have worked in similar communities to prevent and control these cancers.

The CCC Coalition: Working Together

CCC brings together people interested in preventing and controlling cancer to form CCC coalitions. CCC coalitions are groups of diverse partners that work together to address cancer in their community. Each partner commits time and other resources (such as a set of skills, money, and knowledge of the community) to the coalition. A well-rounded coalition has partners from all areas of the community, such as—

• Academic and medical institutions: Community cancer centers, Federally Qualified Health Centers, hospice organizations, physicians, medical schools, cancer centers, primary health care facilities, and schools of public health.
• Business and industry: Health plan and insurance groups, fitness clubs, pharmacies, recreational facilities, and restaurants.
• Community-based organizations: Faith-based organizations, parent-teacher-student associations, survivor support groups, and local chapters or non-profit organizations.
• Government agencies: City planners, Indian Health Service, and the school board.
• Non-profit organizations.
• Political leaders: City council members, county commissioners, Congressional representatives, mayor, school board, and tribal leaders.
• Professional associations for community health workers, hospices, hospitals, patient navigators, nurses, oncologists, physicians, and radiologists.
• Public health programs: Cancer registries, cancer screening programs, environmental health, local or tribal health departments, nutrition programs, physical activity programs, tobacco control programs, and health centers.

See a list of local CCC programs.

To determine if your Pacific Island Jurisdiction, territory, or tribe has a CDC-funded CCC coalition, see a list of CCC plans.

The CCC Plan: A Blueprint

Each coalition creates a CCC plan to guide its activities. The coalition uses information unique to its communities to create the plan, such as—

• The cancer types, such as breast, colorectal, or prostate, that cause the most burden in its communities.
• Health behaviors that lower the risk of cancer, such as nutrition, physical activity, and screening, as reported in CDC’s Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance System.
• Health behaviors that increase the risk of cancer, such as excessive alcohol use, indoor tanning, and tobacco use, as reported in CDC’s Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System.
• Disease control methods that worked previously in the community or in similar communities. These interventions are found in the Community Guide.

NCCCP-supported plans also contain activities related to the NCCCP’s six priorities and are typically updated every five years using the Cancer Plan Self-Assessment Tool.

CDC started the National Comprehensive Cancer Control Program (NCCCP) to help states, tribes, and U.S. territories create and support coalitions to fight cancer. Each puts together a CCC plan that uses information gathered from public health data. This information includes number of cancer cases, deaths, risks for cancer, and healthy behaviors that can prevent cancer.

These plans include activities that—

• Encourage people to make healthy choices.
• Educate people about cancer screening tests.
• Increase access to good cancer care and reduce health disparities.
• Make sure people who survive cancer live well.