[{"_1":2,"_124":-5,"_125":-5},"loaderData",{"_3":4,"_26":27},"root",{"_5":6,"_17":10,"_18":19,"_20":21,"_22":10,"_23":-5,"_24":-5,"_25":10},"user",{"_7":8,"_9":10,"_11":10,"_12":-5,"_13":-5,"_14":15,"_16":-5},"roles",[],"isAuthenticated",false,"isPremium","planName","subscriptionStatus","featureFlags",{},"insightsBudget","isDevelopmentHost","userPreferences",{},"recaptchaSiteKey","6LcvOJcUAAAAAHsB-gPGfGktcRlKpH7OTIU_dMTD","isImpersonating","impersonation","affiliateStatus","isFreedomPortal","routes/v2/article/layout",{"_28":29,"_30":31},"notFound",true,"relatedArticles",[32,76,88,100,112],{"_33":34,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":40,"_41":42,"_43":44,"_45":46,"_47":48,"_49":50,"_51":52,"_53":54,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":60,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":66,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},"mediaId",6222635,"mediaKeyId","3593187-235e7739e1f6519d9205b18c18e8fedc","parentId",3593187,"title","Surgeons and university researchers flag higher thyroid cancer incidence in Northeast Georgia, propose local study","audioSeconds",561,"startMs",11532000,"endMs",12093000,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=3593187-235e7739e1f6519d9205b18c18e8fedc&start=11532&end=12093","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3593187-235e7739e1f6519d9205b18c18e8fedc/thumbnail_11532000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6222635/Georgia/Surgeons-and-university-researchers-flag-higher-thyroid-cancer-incidence-in-Northeast-Georgia-propose-local-study","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6222635-4f1f38220a0bc640239c57b6511b769c/orig.mp4?Expires=1770437580&Signature=GDtdhutQH89BJhw4sKbkUqJWu9F4mufAlaRatSD8CKyqRKbVfNStKHek0fBNnOkBXUqHXtGxbnAsQrCsoYH0SLjZIG3tyEflqteDH5pnCgvG7oyVeRxFH6GJ63fckyDqoajZWpTYOB4pAKti0kDAuTw0NTI98SXF-Wl~udawPECu~5FEZbKp8as1Pd5P1OSvTLQKBT-Jrajg2jPyqjoEr2w1-pFLJFyFGvn5R7QXx6-wT3uqhJFV50pw3dlJa~bgi0T~qHNdkGunB9G09YL7oHIjy48Rj~iK4khZBL83kA8u5ltMNzl28hwNLpBXQzG7uUfvjj6x0nyytHDSI2hwcA__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","Georgia Legislature","date","2025-05-29T00:00:00Z","article","During the committee’s Gainesville session, endocrine surgeons and university researchers described a sustained, above‑average rise in thyroid cancer diagnoses across parts of Northeast Georgia and proposed a coordinated local research effort to investigate causes and next steps.

“While radiation is the number one cause, there’s a lot that we don’t know about endocrine‑disrupting chemicals,” said Dr. Parker Hyde of the University of North Georgia, summarizing evolving research into epigenetic modifiers such as per‑ and poly‑fluoroalkyl substances (PFAS). Dr. Nikita Machado, an endocrine surgeon, said the area’s age‑adjusted county incidence rates are substantially above the statewide rate and told the committee about a 38‑year‑old patient who required two operations and radioactive iodine—an example of the clinical and financial burdens that can follow a thyroid diagnosis.

The nut graf: presenters showed county maps and SEER/DPH incidence data indicating age‑adjusted thyroid cancer rates in several Northeast Georgia counties about double the state rate (state rate ~11.5 per 100,000; some local counties in the mid‑20s per 100,000). University of North Georgia faculty described a proposed multiphase research plan that will analyze year‑by‑year registry data, search for geographic subclusters and investigate possible environmental, genetic and epigenetic contributors, using geospatial analysis and student researcher teams.

Machado urged partnerships among hospitals, public health and university researchers to determine whether the rise represents overdiagnosis (smaller, indolent cancers identified by more imaging) or an increase in clinically significant disease with possible environmental drivers. “She’s undergone all of that treatment and I know for a fact that she’s going to do great in the long run…but her worries were different,” Machado said, describing the patient’s financial and family burdens from care.

Ending: UNG and Northeast Georgia Health System presenters offered to prepare a scope and fiscal estimate for a formal study and said they would collaborate across institutions; the committee asked them to provide a fiscal note and a phased research plan to guide potential state support.","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","05/29/2025\t7:00 AM\tStudy Committee on Cancer Care Access (House)","oneSentenceSummary","Surgeons and university researchers told the House study committee that multiple Northeast Georgia counties show thyroid‑cancer incidence well above the state average and proposed a phased study to investigate trends and environmental or epigenetic drivers.","taxTitle","2025 Legislature Georgia , Georgia","taxId",77688,"location","Georgia","headline","","shortSummary",{"_33":77,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":78,"_41":79,"_43":80,"_45":81,"_47":82,"_49":83,"_51":84,"_53":85,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":86,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":87,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},6222640,"Rural oncologists warn of a crisis: independent community clinics struggle with reimbursement, staffing and prior authorization burdens",1311,9664000,10975000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=3593187-235e7739e1f6519d9205b18c18e8fedc&start=9664&end=10975","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3593187-235e7739e1f6519d9205b18c18e8fedc/thumbnail_9664000.jpg","/articles/6222640/Georgia/Rural-oncologists-warn-of-a-crisis-independent-community-clinics-struggle-with-reimbursement-staffing-and-prior-authorization-burdens","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6222640-5228d8f6113f403f3ad48b9d210b78d1/orig.mp4?Expires=1770437580&Signature=N~dVIhR9WbzGwy-d6H6wn-WuehSo27s6T0TcpKQwMHKSXMsv2Vl7cdin01EVX3S2XDho75t1HotQRmu4YuZsloS7Wy0S9lbM37azvWR72NA7N2Gm-oIGPW6~nrrDHEuP5bebMNG6ZCZZGpLfrsXdvzCQPOdJBKxoNOHOPjTdd8i~VJBr0h8uf0BiahbVw~1BhmDrRbi~OHei1ZsiTivaA7PeH6mtTZ5VoPAelJ~cwLHAZ7itD9t4QtsxAUQlQ7oZVEHxt8hU7wW6rK7BUdkhyjauwaBdHEFFN~lIO0gkDdo5w81FWmSWae7Tx15XKJZ8YbAOyy4B3Lhmp1dVBVzGeA__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","The committee heard a sustained appeal from community practitioners that independent cancer clinics in rural Georgia are under severe economic pressure and that closures or consolidation into hospital systems are reducing access close to home.

“About 7% of the nation's medical oncologists practice in rural areas where about 18 to 20 percent of the population lives,” said Dr. Harsha Avias, a board‑certified hematologist and medical oncologist who practices in Dublin. “I believe we are at a moment of crisis, and we need to act before the last of the few practitioners like me are either driven out of business or get consolidated into entities who really truly will not be able to provide the kind of care a full time doctor who lives in the community will likely provide.”

The nut graf: Avias and other presenters laid out causes: lower reimbursement to independent practices compared with hospital outpatient departments; rapidly rising drug costs and thin margins when specialty drugs are not fully reimbursed; administrative drains from prior authorizations and step‑therapy rules; and the effects of pharmacy benefit managers and 340B program dynamics that can favor hospital acquisition. Avias said practice closures reduce local capacity, leaving rural patients to travel farther for infusion, radiation and multidisciplinary care.

He urged state action on prior‑authorization reform, transparency around pharmacy benefit manager practices and targeted supports to sustain community oncology practices. Avias pointed committee members to a recent federal executive order (dated April 15, 2025) that addresses PBM transparency and Medicare incentives to shift drug administration toward hospital settings.

Ending: The presenter offered to share policy proposals from the Community Oncology Alliance and asked lawmakers to consider state‑level steps—prior‑authorization reform, payment parity for physician‑office drug administration and administrative support—to preserve community oncology care in rural Georgia.","Community oncologists described systemic financial pressures—low practice reimbursement relative to hospital outpatient departments, high drug costs, pharmacy benefit manager practices and rising prior‑authorization burdens—that are encouraging consolidation, reducing independent rural oncology capacity and threatening local access.",{"_33":89,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":90,"_41":91,"_43":92,"_45":93,"_47":94,"_49":95,"_51":96,"_53":97,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":98,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":99,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},6222645,"Presenters say increased screening and more clinicians needed to reduce cancer deaths in rural Georgia",388,8252000,8640000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=3593187-235e7739e1f6519d9205b18c18e8fedc&start=8252&end=8640","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3593187-235e7739e1f6519d9205b18c18e8fedc/thumbnail_8252000.jpg","/articles/6222645/Georgia/Presenters-say-increased-screening-and-more-clinicians-needed-to-reduce-cancer-deaths-in-rural-Georgia","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6222645-3fa3e8b72257ce2678cd72de3512566c/orig.mp4?Expires=1770437580&Signature=LGKMsNrZuHmHAQQuZjHjGboB0RYKQ3rjyKJagcbLCt7qradH5dfSvwvsOIT-9KIshhYVNiPXUZfLjQ78vtGSYfhjpnSmmBz5cEpkqW5itx307GU-ZoSGV~xUxeAbZdFV6F5wTMU4UOxn7X0qzY9IlszRu1Z4HLU8nOu1mnCyt~CPx5naLCLfFL9LiSDskQ0tl7OXPmOuCA1oFhTUY32gUucQCi6xI9wnyVxzm2F8POkE-T3zH2IZdE5nAr9sZxoIz-~N9ry0KaWO8DSKJafORhHo8Qt-1B966OJPzIkGUvUI5ytHsAS~gxrBg~GFpfSJGXXHXHtuhnGT0FEMKfdgxA__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Physicians and nonprofit program leaders described screening as the most direct way to reduce cancer deaths and long‑term costs, but they told the committee Georgia’s screening rates and clinician distribution limit impact in large parts of the state.

“Screening prevents or detects early cancer at curable stages,” said Dr. Kush Desai, an internal medicine physician and assistant dean for the Medical College of Georgia Southwest campus, who described a rural colorectal screening program that raised screening prevalence and helped detect treatable disease. Desai said a single annual FIT (fecal immunochemical test) kit costs roughly $5–$10; colonoscopy, if needed, costs roughly $1,500, while late‑stage treatment can exceed tens of thousands of dollars.

The nut graf: presenters laid out state and clinic screening figures: Desai cited the CDC Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System estimate of about 58% colorectal screening prevalence in Georgia (2022) and 41.6% screening within Federally Qualified Health Centers; breast screening rates ranked near the middle of states and cervical screening performed better. Presenters argued that modest increases in screening—10 percentage points in some models—would save lives and reduce downstream treatment costs.

Panelists also identified workforce gaps. Desai noted counties without local primary‑care or OB‑GYN clinicians and said Georgia trains only a small number of internal medicine/family medicine specialists relative to population need; he and others recommended greater use of nurse practitioners and physician assistants and broader provider education (Project ECHO and provider learning programs were cited) to expand screening. “We have positioned workforce shortages, especially in South Georgia,” Desai said.

Ending: Committee members pressed for scalable, low‑cost interventions such as FIT distribution, provider education and standing orders in clinics; presenters offered to share program curricula and FQHC screening data for committee planning.","Physicians and program leaders told the committee that increasing screening prevalence for colon, breast, cervical and lung cancers could prevent deaths and save money, but Georgia’s screening rates lag in many rural counties and shortages of primary care and specialty clinicians complicate outreach.",{"_33":101,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":102,"_41":103,"_43":104,"_45":105,"_47":106,"_49":107,"_51":108,"_53":109,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":110,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":111,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},6222650,"State epidemiologist: Georgia cancer surveillance shows higher incidence and deaths in rural counties",1322,4832000,6154000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=3593187-235e7739e1f6519d9205b18c18e8fedc&start=4832&end=6154","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3593187-235e7739e1f6519d9205b18c18e8fedc/thumbnail_4832000.jpg","/articles/6222650/Georgia/State-epidemiologist-Georgia-cancer-surveillance-shows-higher-incidence-and-deaths-in-rural-counties","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6222650-e32c618ca11170a4b6a0a9da6ad6c560/orig.mp4?Expires=1770437580&Signature=VXc8LRa2mGBd5xfXlbeIno-twMA37zJTomBDbaLA88HyB6f9N04jkP8qSd18tmEE4EKgWG6T5ljaS5Uqlj4~Mhe5eZ2dfFs0uQ1U0hCeSxQYaDquqxFqZoOhxWGTF5V6rC8A-61~MoHUwta7zIIbdPqpwxJF2IyupXlEbb-WF9xlzmJ5Z7xwXZgxVWAWQOmqx~gGBZqCrQVpPw9sJotlufCDXO5aLkRU9lK04wSWVUoG18SWlilTIURHaL8k7Kw-~-dlw3amBD0610XnLwvnOALvqFmo1526adkVgs2E65PbwZLlKcDesc33VfwNjIu7srid9XSL417yy~Dp9drpmQ__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","The Georgia Department of Public Health told the House study committee that registries and surveillance data show persistent geographic gaps in cancer incidence and outcomes, with many rural counties recording higher rates of cancer diagnosis and death than metropolitan areas.

“Cancer is a notifiable condition. So by law, all cancer diagnoses are reportable from any healthcare facility to us in Georgia,” said Sherry Drincek, state epidemiologist and chief science officer for the Georgia Department of Public Health. She told lawmakers the state’s longitudinal Georgia Comprehensive Cancer Registry is federally funded and provides the timely data the committee needs to target interventions.

The nut graf: DPH officials presented 2018–2022 incidence and more recent mortality data showing lung cancer as the leading cause of cancer death in Georgia, followed by colorectal cancer; lung cancer deaths have declined about 4.5% per year over the last decade, Drincek said, but colorectal cancer mortality has declined much more slowly or increased in some timeframes. Presenters also highlighted that 42 hospitals in Georgia hold Commission on Cancer accreditation and that most of those hospitals are clustered in non‑rural areas, leaving large rural tracts farther from accredited cancer centers.

DPH told the committee Georgia’s all‑site incidence rate was about 472 per 100,000 and that roughly 60,000 Georgians were diagnosed with cancer in 2022. Drincek emphasized the registry’s role in targeting screening and prevention efforts: “It allows us to collect information not only about…when they’re initially diagnosed, but it allows us to follow them over time from diagnosis … through their course of treatment,” she said.

Ending: DPH staff said they will supply requested county‑level stage‑at‑diagnosis data and other supplemental tables to the committee. Members asked for follow‑up on whether later stage at diagnosis in some rural counties explains higher death rates and emphasized that registry data should guide targeted screening and workforce planning.","Georgia Department of Public Health officials told the study committee that Georgia’s cancer registry data show higher cancer incidence and mortality in many rural counties and that lung cancer remains the leading cause of cancer death despite declines in lung cancer incidence and mortality over the past decade.",{"_33":113,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":114,"_41":115,"_43":116,"_45":117,"_47":118,"_49":119,"_51":120,"_53":121,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":122,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":123,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},6222655,"Study committee reviews use of tobacco settlement funds and cancer investments in Georgia",794,3306000,4100000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=3593187-235e7739e1f6519d9205b18c18e8fedc&start=3306&end=4100","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3593187-235e7739e1f6519d9205b18c18e8fedc/thumbnail_3306000.jpg","/articles/6222655/Georgia/Study-committee-reviews-use-of-tobacco-settlement-funds-and-cancer-investments-in-Georgia","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6222655-2400b643b184a1cdd9d4b686cc74e4e2/orig.mp4?Expires=1770437580&Signature=kWzGxhO9dZUvhjmvCDHwoI~flJGyY8VRT3t17gBFG-Ms6YAJEa5qISm5Xd6HGWATIuiymw2YGsEqpVSXti3vike4x9KCJYmvkldc--RyLU7KDpLAmi~CXHEl3~DjKgnb4dj~3~tz8rOlqV6MDrnYkaHRX8RDbSBUTM5hbmrbBjUW69B8kaNKsX80~EaS0dUNQ6MOu8NcO3JAmDjQyP~HyhMQDkVo8269n1cJoTLIuiqiUXzV2YcUTsEJb0YUkfyd6GeTAXWZcAPs~3r4u90E0nnX7cfNcyIMI2aEmHjJAFX7LF05sqw5z-lE4guULCTnQQF0ONvuCPhOWHMDUgyEDg__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Members of the Georgia House Study Committee on Cancer Care Access heard a history of how state tobacco settlement dollars were used and how those allocations changed over two decades. Dr. Chris Parker, director of population and global health at the Georgia Health Policy Center, told the committee the state has received about $4 billion from the Master Settlement Agreement and that roughly $600.9 million of that was appropriated for cancer-related activities.

“The expectation was that the resources would be established in perpetuity,” Dr. Parker said, describing the original intent of the Master Settlement Agreement to reduce harms from tobacco and fund health initiatives. He said Georgia initially put a larger share toward cancer initiatives but that the proportion has declined and “we’ve kind of dropped to about 9% and held steady at that rate.”

The nut graf: committee members were shown that MSA funds supported screenings, treatment for low-income and uninsured patients (the Kansas State Aid—treatment—program was cited), clinical trials, and the Georgia Comprehensive Cancer Registry, but speakers said the relative share dedicated specifically to cancer control activities is smaller now than at the program’s outset. That shift has led presenters to urge the committee to consider whether and how state-level funding priorities should be adjusted to strengthen screening, prevention and access in underserved areas.

Parker and other presenters emphasized that much of the MSA money now flows to Medicaid and wider health-system supports; only a minority is used for targeted cancer-control programs. He said some MSA-funded activities remain important, including tobacco-prevention programs, clinical-trial support and a small treatment fund for underinsured patients. “Most of the resources that find a way to cancer specific or related activity are focused in on treating low income or uninsured populations,” Parker said.

Committee members asked whether shifting more resources to prevention and screening would be effective; Parker and other panelists said expanded insurance coverage helps but does not by itself solve access problems such as transportation, workforce shortages and health literacy. The committee did not take formal action at the meeting; speakers asked for further data and follow-up at upcoming sessions in Albany and at the Medical College of Georgia.

Ending: The presentation framed MSA dollars as an engine that has funded both treatment and prevention over time while raising questions about whether the balance should change as Georgia faces persistent rural access gaps and rising incidence for some cancers. The committee plans follow-up briefings and requested additional budget and program detail in later meetings.","Speakers told the Georgia House study committee that Master Settlement Agreement (MSA) dollars helped build cancer programs but that the share of MSA funding dedicated specifically to cancer has fallen over time, prompting calls to reassess priorities for prevention, screening and treatment.","actionData","errors"]

Article not found

Surgeons and university researchers flag higher thyroid cancer incidence in Northeast Georgia, propose local study

Rural oncologists warn of a crisis: independent community clinics struggle with reimbursement, staffing and prior authorization burdens

Presenters say increased screening and more clinicians needed to reduce cancer deaths in rural Georgia

State epidemiologist: Georgia cancer surveillance shows higher incidence and deaths in rural counties

Study committee reviews use of tobacco settlement funds and cancer investments in Georgia