ASU to study colorectal cancer in minority, low-income populations

Arizona State University has received a $3 million grant to fund cancer research in underserved populations. 

The money, from the National Cancer Institute, will help fund a four-year study aimed at increasing colorectal cancer screening among minority and low-income populations. The study will track 1,600 people in the Phoenix area.

The study’s lead investigators, from ASU and Ohio State University, say cancer screening rates are low in the populations they’re examining, often because people lack access, or at least regular access, to doctors.

The project hopes to increase colorectal cancer screening rates and decrease the number of deaths from the disease. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, colorectal is the second leading cancer killer in both women and men in the U.S.