Breast and Cervical Cancer

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Mammograms save lives. But, even today, too many women don't have access to lifesaving breast and cervical cancer screenings.

We are working in Congress and in every state legislature to ensure funding for the federal cancer screening and early detection program that has already helped millions of women and saved thousands of lives.

More than 40,000 women will die from breast cancer this year, while over 13,000 will be diagnosed with cervical cancer.  We're working to convince Congress to increase funding for breast and cervical cancer research that could lead to new medical breakthroughs and save more lives.

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Congress: Increase Funding For Lifesaving Cancer Screening Programs

The National Breast and Cervical Cancer Early Detection Program (NBCCEDP) is a critical safety net to ensure that all eligible individuals – no matter where they live or how little money they make – can get a free or inexpensive breast or cervical cancer screening. But today, the program doesn’t have enough funding to serve everyone who needs it.

Latest Updates

March 14, 2024
Arizona

PHOENIX, ARIZ. – MARCH 14, 2024 – Cancer survivors, patients, and caregivers from across Arizona convened at the State Capitol Thursday for ‘Cancer Action Day,’ an event hosted annually by the American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network (ACS CAN). Donning bright blue shirts, volunteers met with several state lawmakers and urged them to support policies that would aid in the fight against cancer.

March 12, 2024
National

The House Energy and Commerce Committee’s Subcommittee on Health today marked up the Screening for Communities to Receive Early and Equitable Needed Services (SCREENS) for Cancer Act, H.R. 3916. The bipartisan legislation would reauthorize the National Breast and Cervical Cancer Early Detection Program (NBCCEDP) through 2028.

March 8, 2024
Florida

The Florida legislature ended its 2024 session today by passing a budget that included landmark funding for cancer priorities in the Sunshine State, including meaningful increases for the Florida Cancer Innovation Fund, the Mary Brogan Breast and Cervical Cancer Early Detection Program and the Casey DeSantis Cancer Research Program.

February 14, 2024
National

Dr. Christina Annunziata , the Senior Vice President of Extramural Discovery Science at the American Cancer Society, testified today before the House Committee on Energy and Commerce’s Subcommittee on Health in support of the Screening for Communities to Receive Early and Equitable Needed Services (SCREENS) for Cancer Act and the Women and Lung Research and Preventive Services Act.

Breast and Cervical Cancer Resources

For 30 years, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s National Breast and Cervical Cancer Early Detection Program has decreased disparities in breast and cervical cancer deaths.

In 2024, an estimated 13,820 people in the U.S. will be diagnosed with invasive cervical cancer, and 4,360 will die from the disease. Cervical cancer can affect any person with a cervix and most often is caused by certain types of human papillomavirus (HPV). Persistent HPV infection causes almost all cervical cancers but fortunately there is a safe and effective vaccine against HPV.

Approximately 1 in 8 women (13%) will be diagnosed with invasive breast cancer in her lifetime, and 1 in 39 women (3%) will die from breast cancer. In 2023, an estimated 297,790 women in the U.S. will be diagnosed with invasive breast cancer, and 43,170 will die from the disease. Despite the fact that U.S. breast cancer death rates have been declining for several decades, not all people have benefited equally from the advances in prevention, early detection, and treatments that have helped achieve these lower rates.