American Cancer Society Launches The Great American Health Check, Spon

American Cancer Society Launches The Great American Health Check, Sponsored by MetLife; Online Tool and Outreach to Raise Awareness of Early Detection for Cancer, Supported by Quest Diagnostics

    Business Editors/Health/Medical Writers

    ATLANTA & NEW YORK--(BUSINESS WIRE)--May 2, 2005--The American Cancer Society today launched its Great American Health Check(SM), a campaign to raise national awareness about the importance of early detection in America's fight against cancer. Made possible by Metropolitan Life Insurance Company ("MetLife") with additional support from Quest Diagnostics, the initiative will involve a major public outreach campaign to encourage Americans to get tested for the disease. The Great American Health Check, which is available year-round, is an easy, confidential, online health assessment tool available at www.cancer.org/healthcheck. Questions focus on gender, age, height, weight, family history of cancer, dietary habits, physical activity levels, alcohol and tobacco use.
    According to the latest statistics compiled by the American Cancer Society, the nation's leading voluntary health organization devoted to fighting cancer, fewer than 50 percent of all adults get all the early detection tests for cancer on schedule as recommended by the Society. Cancers that could be detected earlier by following the Society's testing guidelines account for nearly half of all new cancer cases. Survival rates for many cancers have improved over the last two decades, due in large part to increased use of early detection tests.
    The tool helps individuals understand which early detection tests they should take to find cancer early when treatment is more likely to be successful, or to prevent cancer altogether. Barriers to getting these tests include confusion about which tests are necessary for whom and when the tests should be done, as well as the discomfort many Americans feel about discussing some cancer tests with their doctor. The American Cancer Society hopes the Great American Health Check will help overcome these barriers by providing clear, personalized cancer early detection recommendations patients can use to talk to their doctors. According to the American Cancer Society, while age is the greatest risk factor for some types of cancer, factors such as family history and lifestyle can put one at greater risk and may indicate a need to begin testing earlier than the norm. In addition to helping individuals determine which early detection cancer tests they should discuss with their doctor, the tool also provides healthy lifestyle information and tools that can help reduce the risk of getting cancer, such as quitting smoking and maintaining a healthy weight. After taking the Great American Health Check, users receive a personalized cancer action plan that lists the cancer tests they need and healthy lifestyle recommendations. The personalized action plan helps individuals be informed, proactive healthcare consumers and patients.
    After avoiding tobacco use and maintaining a healthy weight, following American Cancer Society recommendations for cancer early detection is the most important thing people can do to reduce their chances of dying from cancer and reduce suffering from many cancers.
    Early detection tests can detect cancers of the breast, colon, rectum, cervix, prostate, oral cavity, and skin at early stages when treatment is more likely to be successful. In addition, tests for cervical and colorectal cancer may detect changes in cells before they become cancerous. According to the latest statistics compiled by the American Cancer Society:

--	Use of the Pap test has caused cervical cancer cases and deaths to drop by about 70 percent over the last several decades.
--	Breast cancer death rates have declined by about 20 percent since 1991, due in large part to greater use of mammography in early detection.
--	While death rates from colorectal cancer (commonly referred to as colon cancer) -- the third most common cancer in both men and women -- have steadily decreased over the past 15 years, increasing colon cancer early detection testing among adults 50 and older represents the single greatest opportunity to decrease colon cancer death rates in the United States. In addition, colon cancer is the rare case in which testing can actually prevent the disease altogether, if pre-cancerous polyps are found and removed during testing (cervical cancer is another example).

    In addition to getting the right tests, people can reduce their risk for cancer by not smoking; getting at least 30 minutes of physical activity on five or more days a week; and consuming a diet rich in fruits, vegetables, whole grains, nuts, low-fat dairy products, lean meats, poultry and fish. Lifestyle factors, such as obesity, poor nutrition, smoking and lack of physical activity, have a significant impact on cancer incidence. In fact, scientific evidence suggests that about one-third of the cancer deaths expected in 2005 will be related to nutrition, physical inactivity, and overweight or obesity.
    "While cancer remains one of the top health concerns of Americans, many people may not realize cancers that can be prevented or detected earlier by screening account for about half of all new cancer cases," said Stephen F. Sener, MD, national volunteer president of the American Cancer Society. "The Great American Health Check is one of several ways the Society works to spread the life-saving messages of prevention and early detection."
    "MetLife believes that prevention is the best way to battle cancer - both physically and financially," said Ben Colvin, vice president, MetLife. "In 2004, the National Institutes of Health estimated overall annual costs of cancer to be nearly $190 billion in the United States. As the leading provider of employee benefits, MetLife is committed to helping fight cancer and reduce the financial burden it causes for millions of consumers and companies."
    "Diagnostic testing, by detecting disease early, plays an increasingly important role in helping physicians manage their patients' health," said Joyce G. Schwartz, M.D., vice president and chief laboratory officer of Quest Diagnostics. "The rapid development of new technology is providing a myriad of new opportunities to design new and useful tests for early diagnosis, which will reduce morbidity and mortality."
    Although the Great American Health Check is an online tool, cancer information is available 24-hours a day, seven days a week at the American Cancer Society's toll-free call center, 1-800-ACS-2345. Cancer information specialists can mail callers information on the Great American Health Check and specific cancer screenings.
    MetLife's primary goal as the premier sponsor of the Great American Health Check is to encourage cancer screenings and, ultimately, help reduce the financial burden of cancer-related illnesses to its customers by preserving good health.
    Quest Diagnostics is raising awareness about the benefits of the Great American Health Check among physicians and their patients through a direct mail campaign and by encouraging patients to use the online tool through posters and patient literature placed in physician offices and in nearly 2,000 Quest Diagnostics Patient Service Centers located across the country.
    The American Cancer Society is dedicated to eliminating cancer as a major health problem by saving lives, diminishing suffering and preventing cancer through research, education, advocacy and service. Founded in 1913 and with national headquarters in Atlanta, the Society has 14 regional Divisions and local offices in 3,400 communities, involving millions of volunteers across the United States. For more information anytime, call toll free 1-800-ACS-2345 or visit www.cancer.org.
    MetLife, a subsidiary of MetLife, Inc. (NYSE: MET), is a leading provider of insurance and other financial services to individual and institutional customers. The MetLife companies serve individuals in approximately 13 million households in the U.S. and provide benefits to 37 million employees and family members through their plan sponsors. Outside the U.S., the MetLife companies serve approximately 9 million customers through direct insurance operations in Argentina, Brazil, Chile, China, Hong Kong, India, Indonesia, Mexico, South Korea, Taiwan and Uruguay. For more information about MetLife, please visit the company's Web site at www.metlife.com
    Quest Diagnostics Incorporated (NYSE: DGX) is the leading provider of diagnostic testing, information and services that patients and doctors need to make better healthcare decisions. The company offers the broadest access to diagnostic testing services through its national network of laboratories and patient service centers, and provides interpretive consultation through its extensive medical and scientific staff. Quest Diagnostics is a pioneer in developing innovative new diagnostic tests and advanced healthcare information technology solutions that help improve patient care. Additional company information is available at: www.questdiagnostics.com.

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CONTACT: American Cancer Society Anne Isenhower, 404/417-5850 anne.isenhower@cancer.org or MetLife Toni Griffin, 727/862-7006 tgriffin2@metlife.com

KEYWORD: GEORGIA NEW YORK INDUSTRY KEYWORD: MEDICAL CONSUMER/HOUSEHOLD ADVERTISING/MARKETING INSURANCE HUMAN RESOURCES PRODUCT MARKETING AGREEMENTS SOURCE: MetLife

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