Contact: Louise DuPont

Staffed by specially trained information specialists, the CIS provides toll-free telephone service in English and Spanish (1-800-4-CANCER), offers personalized attention to each caller, and answers questions about cancer prevention, screening, diagnosis, treatment and research. Through NCI’s Web site, www.cancer.gov, Internet users can access CIS for real-time assistance through LiveHelp, an instant messaging service.  In addition, CIS offers smoking cessation counseling via NCI’s Smoking Quitline (1-877-44U-QUIT).

LEXINGTON, Ky. (Feb. 10, 2005) -- The National Cancer Institute (NCI), the government’s lead agency for cancer research, announced today that the University of Kentucky Markey Cancer Center has been selected as one of 15 organizations for a contract award to operate its Mid South Cancer Information Service (CIS). The Mid South CIS will serve Alabama, Arkansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi and Tennessee.

The UK Markey Cancer Center will receive a five-year contract totaling $6,113,072.

Created in 1976, the CIS is the federal government’s source for the latest, most accurate cancer information for the American public. The CIS assists organizations in developing education efforts to reach people who do not have easy access to cancer information and services, provides up-to-date scientific information in understandable language, and studies ways to promote healthy behaviors and communicate cancer information effectively.

“The CIS is a critical resource for the American public, and we feel privileged to be able to continue to provide this service,” said Stephen W. Wyatt, dean of the UK College of Public Health and principal investigator of the Mid South CIS.

“We are pleased to be working in partnership with the Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center, the Arkansas Cancer Research Center, Auburn University, and Louisiana State University to meet the needs of our region. This award will allow us to continue to focus on working with these and other valuable partners in our region who reach the medically underserved, who carry a disproportionate share of the cancer burden. It also allows us to explore new ways to interact with researchers at UK and other research institutions in the Southeast,” said Wyatt.

Staffed by specially trained information specialists, the CIS provides toll-free telephone service in English and Spanish (1-800-4-CANCER), offers personalized attention to each caller, and answers questions about cancer prevention, screening, diagnosis, treatment and research. Through NCI’s Web site, Internet users can access CIS for real-time assistance through LiveHelp, an instant messaging service.  In addition, CIS offers smoking cessation counseling via NCI’s Smoking Quitline (1-877-44U-QUIT). 

The CIS also collaborates with national, state and regional organizations to disseminate cancer information and develop cancer education programs that reach minority and medically underserved populations.  The Partnership Program brings cancer information to people who may have difficulties seeking health information because of educational, financial, language or other barriers.  It also strives to increase partners’ awareness that cancer health disparities are a major public health problem where the burden of cancer falls disproportionately on certain racial, ethnic and socioeconomic groups.

The Research Program will help the CIS engage in research that helps both the Information Service and Partnership Program better understand, apply and disseminate effective communication approaches to educate the public about cancer and contribute to the nation’s cancer control efforts. 

The CIS collaborates with over 900 partners with special attention to populations most affected by cancer health disparities. The CIS also takes nearly 300,000 calls annually and has responded to over 10 million callers since its inception.