ST. LOUIS (AP) - A $7.6 million federal grant will help Washington University in its effort to reduce cancer disparities in parts of Missouri and central and southern Illinois.

The grant from the National Cancer Institute was announced Wednesday. It will fund creation of the St. Louis-based university’s Implementation Science Center for Cancer Control.

The university says the center will develop ways to implement cancer-control interventions, including screenings for diseases such as breast and colon cancer, among disadvantaged populations in 82 counties.

Washington University officials say five southeast Missouri counties have some of the highest poverty and cancer rates in the U.S. Several Illinois counties also have poor health rankings.

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