Prevention in Action: Congressional leaders commit to improving cancer screening access

On August 2, the Prevent Cancer Foundation–as a member of the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids– submitted comments to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) on the Proposed Rule for a Tobacco Product Standard for Menthol Cigarettes and the Proposed Rule for a Tobacco Product Standard for Characterizing Flavors in Cigars. The Prevent Cancer Foundation strongly supports FDA action to eliminate menthol cigarettes and flavored cigars. A product standard prohibiting menthol as a characterizing flavor in cigarettes meets the statutory public health standard and the agency should exercise its authority under the Tobacco Control Act. Additionally, banning flavored cigars will have a substantial impact in preventing tobacco-caused mortality, avoiding suffering from tobacco addiction and disease and reducing persistent health disparities in the U.S. Due to the serious impact these rules have on our nation’s health, the FDA has an obligation to finalize and implement them with urgency. The faster these rules are implemented, the faster we can stop the tobacco industry’s targeting of sexual and gender minorities, Black and other communities, and the more kids we will prevent from smoking.

Prevent Cancer Foundation thanks congressional leaders for commitment to improving access to cancer screenings

On August 10, the Prevent Cancer Foundation–as a member of the Cancer Early Detection Alliance (CEDA)–sent a letter to Energy and Commerce Chairman Frank Pallone, Jr. (D-N.J.) and U.S. Rep. Anna G. Eshoo (D-Calif.) thanking them for their commitment to improving access to early cancer screening technologies by requesting more information from the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF). In July, Reps. Pallone and Eshoo requested more information from the USPSTF on improving their timeliness and transparency. Overseen by the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, USPSTF serves the critically important role of making evidence-based recommendations about clinical preventive services that often result in coverage and greater access to screenings. For early detection of cancer, the importance of USPSTF cannot be overstated. However, USPSTF’s review process can be slow, often failing to meet the five-year review timeline as mandated under current law, let alone keeping up with research and technological advancements. The USPSTF process could be improved with greater transparency and more stakeholder input.

CEDA applauds Reps. Pallone and Eshoo’s leadership in USPSTF oversight and commits to working with them to remove barriers in the USPSTF review process. With more timely review, increased transparency and stakeholder input, USPSTF’s actions will ultimately result in fewer lives lost to cancer and other preventable diseases, especially for underserved populations.

A Guide to Preventing Cancer

In the U.S. each year, nearly two million Americans are diagnosed and more than 600,000 people die from cancer. Research shows that more than half of all cases are preventable with the knowledge we have today. It can be hard to know what screenings to get and preventive measures to take to reduce your risk or detect cancer early, which increases the likelihood your treatment would be successful. To address knowledge gaps across the cancer care continuum, the Prevent Cancer Foundation launched a comprehensive resource offering guidance on lifestyle behaviors, screening recommendations and more. The updated guide also includes “snapshots” highlighting what cancer screenings are needed at every age and when to schedule them. Download the Foundation’s updated Guide to Preventing Cancer to learn what you can be doing to turn prevention into action.