Cancer
ShareCompartir
Did You Know? is a weekly feature from the Office for State, Tribal, Local and Territorial Support to inform your prevention activities. We invite you to read, share, and take action!
View the Current Did You Know?
March 24, 2017
- CDC’s Tips From Former Smokers (Tips™) campaign builds public awareness of the health damage caused by smoking and exposure to secondhand smoke.
- As a result of the 2014 Tips™ campaign, an estimated 1.83 million smokers attempted to quit smoking and 104,000 smokers quit smoking for good.
- Healthcare providers and public health professionals can use the Tips™ campaign’s targeted resources for partners to encourage smokers to quit.
February 3, 2017
- About 89,000 US women each year learn they have a gynecologic cancer.
- Take CDC's quick quiz to test your knowledge about the 5 main types of gynecologic cancer: cervical, ovarian, uterine, vaginal, and vulvar cancer.
- You can promote awareness about gynecologic cancers through CDC's Inside Knowledge campaign—take a free continuing education course and share posters, fact sheets, buttons, badges, and PSAs.
December 16, 2016
- Cancer patients receiving chemotherapy can have extremely low white blood cell counts—a condition called neutropenia [PDF-173KB]—which puts them at risk for infection.
- Each year in the United States, 60,000 cancer patients are hospitalized for a serious infection―and 1 in 14 of these patients dies.
- CDC’s Preventing Infections in Cancer Patients program offers tools and resources for healthcare providers, patients, and caregivers to help reduce the risk of life-threatening infections.
November 18, 2016
- Each year, 660,000 people in the US are diagnosed with―and 343,000 people die from―a cancer related to tobacco use, according to the latest Vital Signs report.
- Cancers linked to tobacco use make up 40% of all cancers diagnosed.
- States and communities can prevent tobacco-related cancer and death by supporting comprehensive cancer prevention and tobacco control programs.
July 22, 2016
- Men and women 50–75 years old should be screened for colorectal (colon) cancer, but at least one third of people in that age group haven’t been tested as recommended.
- CDC’s Screen for Life campaign features celebrities—Morgan Freeman, Meryl Streep, Katie Couric, Diane Keaton, Jimmy Smits, and Terrence Howard—explaining the benefits of colorectal cancer screening.
- Several kinds of tests can find colorectal cancer, so people 50 or older should talk to a doctor about which test is right for them.
July 15, 2016
- Cigarette smoking is the number one risk factor for lung cancer, and African American men have the highest rates of lung cancer in the United States.
- Menthol cigarette smoking is highest among African Americans—a likely effect of targeted marketing by the tobacco industry.
- To learn more about tobacco-related behaviors and disparities among African Americans, read the new supplement in Nicotine & Tobacco Research.
September 25, 2015
- A new annual report from the Community Preventive Services Task Force outlines proven strategies to prevent cancers [PDF–2.3MB] and identifies where more research and programs are still needed.
- The report highlights the huge burden of cancer—including medical costs, productivity losses, and individual suffering and death—and features stories from the field about how communities have successfully used the Task Force’s recommendations.
- Communities, worksites, schools, and healthcare systems can use evidence-based interventions recommended by the Task Force to help reduce cancer and other causes of disease, disability, and death.
June 5, 2015
- In 2011, there were more than 65,000 new cases of melanoma, the deadliest form of skin cancer.
- The cost of treating melanoma patients is expected to triple by the year 2030—to $1.6 billion a year.
- Communities and policymakers could prevent an estimated 21,000 melanomas a year by implementing effective community skin cancer prevention programs.
June 5, 2015
- In 2011, there were more than 65,000 new cases of melanoma, the deadliest form of skin cancer.
- The cost of treating melanoma patients is expected to triple by the year 2030—to $1.6 billion a year.
- Communities and policymakers could prevent an estimated 21,000 melanomas a year by implementing effective community skin cancer prevention programs.
November 7, 2014
- According to this month's Vital Signs, more than 4,000 women in the US die from cervical cancer every year.
- Most cervical cancers can be prevented by screening and HPV vaccination.
- CDC's National Breast and Cervical Cancer Early Detection Program provides access to breast and cervical cancer screening services to underserved women across the US.
April 18, 2014
- About 2 million Americans are at increased risk for cancer and heart disease due to one of three conditions: hereditary breast and ovarian cancer; hereditary colorectal and other cancers related to Lynch syndrome; and familial hypercholesterolemia.
- These conditions are often not identified by healthcare providers, so many people at risk do not benefit from available evidence-based interventions [PDF-153KB].
- State and local public health programs can help healthcare providers identify people at risk by enhancing early detection and referral to appropriate follow up.
November 8, 2013
- Colorectal cancer screening tests save lives by finding precancerous polyps and colorectal cancer early, when treatment works best. Screening is recommended for men and women aged 50–75 years.
- Several types of tests are used to screen for colorectal cancer. Ask your doctor [PDF-178KB] which test is right for you.
- The 25 states and 4 tribes in CDC's Colorectal Cancer Control Program provide screening services to underinsured low-income men and women aged 50–64 years.
May 24, 2013
- Exposure to UV radiation, either from sunlight or indoor tanning devices, is the most important and avoidable risk factor for skin cancer.
- People who indoor tan before age 35 have a 75 percent greater risk of melanoma, which is the deadliest form of skin cancer.
- Serious skin infections can result from using an unclean tanning bed. You can promote the truth about tanning using this user-friendly infographic and web button.
May 24, 2013
- Exposure to UV radiation, either from sunlight or indoor tanning devices, is the most important and avoidable risk factor for skin cancer.
- People who indoor tan before age 35 have a 75 percent greater risk of melanoma, which is the deadliest form of skin cancer.
- Serious skin infections can result from using an unclean tanning bed. You can promote the truth about tanning using this user-friendly infographic and web button.
October 26, 2012
- Women with disabilities aged 50–74 years are less likely to report receiving a mammogram than women without disabilities.
- Difficulty with positioning while getting a mammogram may discourage some women with disabilities from scheduling regular screenings.
- CDC offers free materials to help women with disabilities prepare for prepare for mammograms [PDF-997KB] and discuss any concerns with their doctor.
October 26, 2012
- Women with disabilities aged 50–74 years are less likely to report receiving a mammogram than women without disabilities.
- Difficulty with positioning while getting a mammogram may discourage some women with disabilities from scheduling regular screenings.
- CDC offers free materials to help women with disabilities prepare for prepare for mammograms [PDF-997KB] and discuss any concerns with their doctor.
August 26, 2011
- Four simple health behaviors can lead to a longer life.
- People who engaged in all four healthy behaviors were 63 percent less likely to die early, compared to people who did not practice any of the behaviors.
- Measuring health-related quality of life indicators can help health agencies determine the burden of preventable disease in their jurisdiction.
July 8, 2011
- Sixty-five percent of adults between the ages of 50 and 75 were screened for colorectal cancer in 2010.
- We can prevent an additional 1,000 colorectal cancer deaths each year by meeting the Healthy People 2020 target of 70.5% for colorectal cancer screening in the United States.
- Implementation of system-level evidence-based interventions can increase colorectal cancer screening rates.
March 18, 2011
- Of cancers affecting both men and women, colorectal cancer is the second leading cause of cancer death in the United States.
- If everyone 50 years and older were screened for colorectal cancer as recommended, up to 60% of deaths from colorectal cancer could be prevented.
- The Guide to Community Preventive Services finds that evidenced-based practices, such as client reminder systems, can improve colorectal cancer screening rates.
Did You Know? information and web links are current as of their publication date. They may become outdated over time.
- Page last reviewed: October 11, 2016
- Page last updated: March 24, 2017
- Content source: