Medicare Agent News: Cancer Prevention Works: Ready, Set, Go! Learn How You Can Lower Cancer Risk

Monday, July 18, 2022

Cancer Prevention Works: Ready, Set, Go! Learn How You Can Lower Cancer Risk

July 2022

Healthy Habits During Childhood Help Lower Cancer Risk Later in Life

Family playing football in the park

Healthy habits early in life can help lower the risk of getting cancer later. You can help your children lower their cancer risk by encouraging healthy choices now. Talk with your child about healthy choices such as not smoking, protecting their skin from the sun, and staying physically active. Making physical activity and healthy eating a part of your child’s life can help them keep a healthy weight, which lowers the risk for many types of cancer. Getting your child vaccinated against human papillomavirus (HPV) protects them against cancers caused by HPV infections.

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CDC Awards Funding to Advance National Cancer Prevention and Control

US Map graphic

Great news! CDC has awarded funding to continue nationwide efforts to prevent and control cancer. This funding is for the first year of a 5-year funding opportunity with three CDC national cancer programs. The award recipients include 86 unique state, local, tribal, and territorial public health organizations and academic institutions. This funding supports progress toward CDC’s cancer prevention and control goals to reduce preventable cancers, ensure all people get the right screening at the right time for the best outcomes, and improve health and wellness for cancer survivors leading to longer, healthier lives.

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Building Awareness of Cervical Cancer with a New Tool: Face Your Health

Face Your Health graphic with portraits of African American women

A new tool to help raise awareness about cervical cancer and support health equity is here! Face Your Health is an educational outreach program to encourage African American women to get screened for cervical cancer. Studies show that African American women are more likely to die from cervical cancer than other women in the United States. Face Your Health includes interactive activities to encourage discussion and has audience-friendly visual aids to engage women with different levels of health knowledge. This program was designed for African American women aged 21 to 65 who have never been screened for cervical cancer, or who don’t get screened regularly. Face Your Health encourages women to know their risk, get screened, and be the face of change.

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Enjoy Summer Safely with Sun Protection

Skin cancer prevention graphic with UV protection tips

Summer can be a popular time for activities and gatherings outside. This brings more opportunities for exposure to ultraviolet (UV) rays from the sun. Too much exposure to UV rays can increase the risk for skin cancer. Anyone can get skin cancer, so it’s important to use sun protection. Some of the ways you can protect your skin are to stay in the shade when you’re outside and use sunscreen products with a sun protection factor (SPF) of 15 or higher. If you haven’t regularly used sun protection, don’t worry—it’s not too late to start. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) UV Index mobile application (app) can help you plan outdoor activities to prevent overexposure to the sun's rays. Find more ways to enjoy summer safely.

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Research Spotlight

An estimated 2 to 4 million women were prescribed diethylstilbestrol (DES) during pregnancy from about 1940 to 1970. Women whose mothers took DES while pregnant had an elevated risk of clear-cell adenocarcinoma of the vagina and cervix (CCA) as young women. Previous research suggested that this elevated risk of CCA may persist into adulthood. Risk of clear-cell adenocarcinoma of the vagina and cervix among US women with potential exposure to diethylstilbestrol in utero looks at the CCA risk as these women aged and examines data through 2018. This study provides new information about CCA risk among women from age 55 to 69 years.

Evidence-based interventions (EBIs) have increased colorectal cancer screening, but the ability to achieve national targets (70.5% for Healthy People 2020 and 80% for the National Colorectal Cancer Roundtable) at the population level remains uncertain. Assessing the impact of multicomponent interventions on colorectal cancer screening through simulation: What would it take to reach national screening targets in North Carolina? describes a model using multicomponent EBIs to assess the potential for states to reach the national goals for colorectal cancer screening. This study highlights that decision-makers should also consider tradeoffs in cost, reach, and ability to reduce disparities when selecting interventions.

Did You Know?

Nearly 9 out of 10 adults who smoke cigarettes daily first try smoking by age 18. In 2021, about 1 of every 3 high school students said they had tried a tobacco product.
Differences in health, among groups of people, that are linked to social, economic, geographic, or environmental disadvantage are known as health disparities.