WILMINGTON, DE — AstraZeneca and YMCA of the USA formed a five-year partnership to expand cancer screening education, early detection awareness and survivorship support, aiming to reach 175,000 people in 75 communities during the first two years.
The partnership was announced at the Aspen Ideas: Health conference and combines AstraZeneca’s oncology work with the YMCA’s community network.
The effort comes as screening participation remains uneven despite improved cancer survival rates tied to earlier detection and more targeted treatments.
AstraZeneca and Y-USA plan to develop community-based programs focused on screening awareness, early detection and support for people living with and beyond cancer.
“We are in the golden era of cancer care, yet cancer screening and early detection rates for many types of cancer remain low, with significant disparities across zip codes,” Mohit Manrao, senior vice president and head of U.S. oncology at AstraZeneca, said in a statement.
Y-USA said the partnership will build on more than 15 years of work supporting cancer survivors through programs designed to help them regain health and well-being during and after treatment.
“Over the next five years, we will expand screening, early detection, and survivorship programs to reach more people in the places they live,” Y-USA Chief Executive Suzanne McCormick said in a statement.
A 2025 Prevent Cancer Foundation survey found that 51% of U.S. adults age 21 and older reported having a routine medical appointment or cancer screening in the prior year, down 10 percentage points from the foundation’s 2024 survey.
The same survey found that 73% of respondents were more likely to schedule routine cancer screenings after learning about the benefits of early detection.
The companies cited data showing five-year survival rates for many cancers approach 90% when the disease is found early, underscoring the potential impact of outreach aimed at improving screening rates.
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