Lawmakers hear push to create statewide pancreatic cancer screening, referral program

State lawmakers and medical experts on Feb. 3 urged the Public Health Committee to approve Senate Bill 1191, a measure to create a statewide pancreatic‑cancer screening and referral program aimed at identifying patients at high risk and catching disease early enough for effective treatment.

Supporters said pancreatic cancer is often diagnosed too late for curative surgery and cited genetic markers and targeted imaging as tools to raise survival. They asked the committee to ensure screening is accessible to under‑insured and uninsured residents.

Representative Robin Comey, who opened the hearing for the bill, said the proposal came to her attention through constituents and families who have lost loved ones. “Pancreatic cancer is insidious,” she told the committee, noting it is a leading cause of cancer death in Connecticut and that by the time symptoms prompt medical visits it is frequently too late for effective treatment.

Brett Shipper, chief of surgical oncology at Hartford Hospital, testified that pancreatic cancer is a major killer in Connecticut and that early detection changes outcomes. “The 5‑year survival rate is about 12.5 percent,” Shipper said. “We know that survival if discovered at a localized state is 44 percent, but quickly falls to 16 percent for regional disease and down to 3.1 percent for distant disease. The key to survival is early detection.” He described Hartford HealthCare’s high‑risk screening program (MRI alternating with endoscopic ultrasound) and noted NIH guidance recommending screening for people with strong family histories or defined genetic mutations, typically starting at age 50 or 10 years younger than the youngest affected relative.

Project Purple, a Connecticut nonprofit focused on pancreatic cancer, described grants and local screening programs supported by philanthropy. Dino Varelli, Project Purple’s CEO, said recent genetics advances show roughly 10 percent of cases are tied to identifiable mutations and cited multicenter screening efforts that found cancers at resectable stages when programs screened high‑risk cohorts.

Committee members asked about insurance coverage, cost, and how a state program would reach people without physician relationships. Shipper said genetic testing is widely covered for people with cancer or qualifying family histories and described the clinical workflow (data coordination, financial support to cover MRI/EUS for the uninsured, and a statewide referral footprint). Representatives and advocates pressed for built‑in access for under‑insured residents and asked that the program align with existing hospital and nonprofit screening efforts.

Advocates said the bill should include an outreach and registry component so the state can track people in high‑risk programs and ensure recommended follow‑up. Several speakers asked the committee to include explicit protections for low‑income residents so cost does not prevent enrollment.

The hearing included personal accounts from survivors and family members describing how late diagnosis affected outcomes and how earlier screening could have made a difference. Committee members said they would consider the program’s design, funding pathways and specific language to secure access for disadvantaged communities.

If the committee advances the bill, supporters said it would fund planning, outreach and technical infrastructure to expand high‑risk surveillance and referral, and proponents asked for specificity about covering uninsured residents and coordinating among hospitals, community clinicians and existing nonprofit programs.