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CDC's Cancer-Related Programs

The following programs and initiatives illustrate CDC's comprehensive approaches to preventing and controlling cancer:

Since 1991, the National Breast and Cervical Cancer Early Detection Program (NBCCEDP) has provided more than 7.2 million screening and diagnostic exams for breast and cervical cancer to more than 3 million low-income women who had little or no health insurance. The NBCCEDP supports early detection programs in all 50 states, the District of Columbia, 12 American Indian/Alaska Native organizations, and 5 U.S. territories. To increase screening rates, the program also supports education and outreach activities, case management services, and research.

The National Comprehensive Cancer Control Program (NCCCP) funds states, tribes and tribal organizations, and territories to establish coalitions, assess the burden of cancer, determine priorities, and develop and implement comprehensive cancer control (CCC) programs. CCC is a collaborative process through which a community pools resources to reduce the burden of cancer that results in risk reduction, early detection, better treatment, and enhanced survivorship. CDC supports CCC programs in 50 states, the District of Columbia, 7 tribes and tribal organizations, and 7 U.S. Associated Pacific Islands/territories.

The National Program of Cancer Registries (NPCR) collects data on the occurrence of cancer; the type, extent, and location of the cancer; and the type of initial treatment. NPCR supports cancer registries in 45 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Pacific Island Jurisdictions. Data collected by these registries enable public health professionals to better understand and address the nation's cancer burden. To help disseminate these high-quality data, the NPCR and the National Cancer Institute's Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results Program collaborate to publish annual cancer incidence and death data in the United States Cancer Statistics: Incidence and Mortality reports.

Through colorectal cancer prevention and control initiatives, CDC and its partners are promoting colorectal cancer screening nationwide. CDC-supported educational and research initiatives include the Screen for Life: National Colorectal Cancer Action Campaign, a screening demonstration program, and several scientific studies designed to determine the barriers to colorectal cancer screening. The Screen for Life campaign teaches Americans aged 50 years or older that colorectal cancer screening saves lives by finding precancerous polyps and detecting cancer early.

CDC is funding a 3-year demonstration program to learn how best to implement colorectal cancer screening at the community level. This program aims to increase colorectal cancer screening among low-income adults aged 50 or older, who have little or no health insurance coverage for regular screenings.

CDC, in collaboration with the Department of Health and Human Services' Office on Women's Health, established the Inside Knowledge: Get the Facts About Gynecologic Cancer campaign to raise awareness of the five main types of gynecologic cancer: cervical, ovarian, uterine, vaginal, and vulvar. Inside Knowledge campaign materials include fact sheets on the five most common gynecologic cancers. Additional educational materials are currently in development.

Through hematologic cancer initiatives, CDC funds efforts to improve the awareness, diagnosis, understanding, and treatment of cancers of the blood and bone marrow (hematologic cancers). These efforts offer health care providers the latest information about how best to recognize the signs and symptoms of hematologic cancers and how best to treat these diseases. They also connect the public, people living with hematologic cancers, and the friends and families of people living with these diseases with resources for understanding the diseases better; asking the right questions about diagnosis, treatment, and survivorship; receiving optimal treatment; and finding community support networks.

Through lung cancer initiatives, CDC is working to prevent and control lung cancer by 1) collecting critical data about who is being diagnosed with and dying of lung cancer in the United States, 2) supporting programs in states, tribes, and U.S. territories that strive to prevent and control tobacco use, and promote a healthy diet, 3) implementing public health interventions and countermarketing strategies to reduce smoking, and 4) maintaining a lung cancer Web site.

Through ovarian cancer control initiatives, CDC is working with academic and medical institutions, state health departments, and advocacy groups to identify factors related to the early detection and treatment of ovarian cancer, about which little is known. Cancer registries in three states receive NPCR funds to evaluate care and outcomes for patients with ovarian cancer. Additionally, CDC's National Comprehensive Cancer Control Program funds ovarian cancer projects in Alabama, Colorado, and West Virginia.

Through prostate cancer control initiatives, CDC provides the public, physicians, and policy makers with the information they need to make informed decisions about the potential risks and benefits of prostate cancer screening. CDC materials include three versions of Prostate Cancer Screening: A Decision Guide—one for all men who are considering prostate cancer screening, one specifically for African-American men, and one specifically for Hispanic men. CDC also has developed a slide presentation, Screening for Prostate Cancer: Sharing the Decision, that gives primary care physicians information about the potential benefits and risks of screening.

Through skin cancer primary prevention and education initiatives, CDC supports skin cancer monitoring, research, education, and interventions. CDC published the Guidelines for School Programs to Prevent Skin Cancer to spread the word about strategies that have reduced skin cancer risks among students aged 5–18 years. Additionally, CDC is working with state and local education agencies and other partners to put these strategies into practice in schools in Colorado, Michigan, and North Carolina.

Through cancer survivorship initiatives, CDC is working with national, state, and local partners to create and implement successful strategies to help the millions of people in the United States who live with, through, and beyond cancer. An increasing number of people are surviving cancer. As the population of cancer survivors grows, the public health community is considering ways to address the issues related to survivorship. Survivorship is a broad term that refers not only to people who have been diagnosed with cancer at some point in their lives, but also to the friends and family members of people who have been diagnosed with cancer.

Through its Tobacco Control Program, CDC's Office on Smoking and Health provides national leadership for comprehensive efforts to reduce tobacco use through state and community interventions, countermarketing, policy development, surveillance, and evaluation. CDC also supports tobacco prevention and control efforts in all 50 states, the District of Columbia, 7 U.S. territories, 7 tribal groups, and 6 national networks.

Through its Division of Nutrition, Physical Activity, and Obesity, CDC supports states by offering programs that promote a healthy diet. These programs include Fruits & Veggies - More Matters, which encourages people to eat a variety of fruits and vegetables every day.