Take Charge of Your Health with Tools to Help Lower Breast Cancer Risk

Graphic portrait of women

What do you know about breast cancer risk? Breast cancer affects young and older women and some men. October is dedicated to supporting efforts to reduce breast cancer and help people living beyond it to stay healthy.

The risk for breast cancer is due to several factors over the course of your life. Some of these include being older, inheriting changes to breast cancer genes, and having dense breasts. Knowing your risk is one step to better breast health. Pay attention to changes in your breasts and talk with your doctor about breast cancer screening options that are right for you.

Check out the new Bring Your Brave video series with stories from people affected by breast cancer, including a father and daughter. Find more on how to lower your breast cancer risk with our new toolkit.

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Cancer Registries 30th Anniversary Highlights Vision and Value

National Program of Cancer Registries 30th Anniversary logo

A vision of more accurate and complete cancer data became a reality when CDC’s National Program of Cancer Registries (NPCR) was created. Now, NPCR celebrates 30 years of helping central cancer registries collect high-quality data to measure progress, drive action, prevent cancers, and improve treatment for all people. Each success of the program paves the way to understand how cancer affects the nation and helps find ways to reduce cancer. CDC is proud of what has been accomplished over 30 years with our partners and we look forward to exciting things to come under the cancer registries data modernization initiative.

Better Cancer Data Helps Prevention Efforts for American Indian and Alaska Native People

American Indian woman and man walking

American Indian and Alaska Native populations have unique cancer patterns because of their history and culture, as well as how they get health care. Many American Indian and Alaska Native people are misclassified as another race in cancer registry records. Central cancer registries and the Indian Health Service (IHS) work together to reduce misclassification of American Indian and Alaska Native people. One way that is used to classify American Indian and Alaska Native people correctly is to link cancer cases in registries with IHS patient registration data. Accurate cancer data can help identify communities that may benefit from screening and prevention programs.

Young Breast Cancer Survivors Program Supports Underserved Communities

Woman standing outside

About 9% of all new cases of breast cancer in the United States are found in women younger than 45 years of age. The women diagnosed with these cancers are called young breast cancer survivors. These women often face difficult medical, psychosocial, financial, and health issues related to their diagnosis and treatment for breast cancer. In 2019, CDC funded eight organizations to provide structured support services and resources for young breast cancer survivors and metastatic breast cancer patients. The Young Breast Cancer Survivors Program reaches out to communities affected by breast cancer that would benefit from additional survivor support.

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New HPV Data Brief

U.S. Cancer Statistics graphic of a person looking at a laptop

Human papillomavirus (HPV) is a known cause of cancer among women and men. Most HPV infections don’t cause symptoms and go away on their own, but long-term infections can lead to cancer. A new data brief shows that an estimated 47,199 new cases of HPV-associated cancers occurred in the United States each year from 2015 to 2019. White men and women had the highest rate of cancer cases compared with other racial and ethnic groups.

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New Webinar to Watch!

The National Association of Chronic Disease Directors in collaboration with CDC’s Cancer Prevention Across the Lifespan workgroup will host a webinar titled, “Early Childhood Adversity, Toxic Stress, and the Impacts of Racism on the Foundations of Health.” During this webinar, Jack Shonkoff, MD, will discuss how advances in the biology of adversity and resilience are increasing our understanding of the effects of excessive stress on child development and lifelong health. Dr. Shonkoff will also discuss how early adversities related to systemic racism can increase risk of chronic diseases well into adulthood.

Attendees may also be interested in reading a related paper by Shonkoff and colleagues that was published in the Annual Review of Public Health titled, “Early Childhood Adversity, Toxic Stress, and the Impacts of Racism on the Foundations of Health.”

Join us on Tuesday, October 19 from 3:00 to 4:00 p.m. ET.

Research Spotlight

Cost-effectiveness of pharmacologic treatment options for women with endocrine-refractory or triple-negative metastatic breast cancer examines the cost and benefits of different single-agent chemotherapy treatments among patients with triple-negative metastatic breast cancer.

Social determinants of cancer risk among American Indian and Alaska Native populations: An evidence review and map explores the current literature and knowledge gaps regarding social determinants of health and cancer among American Indian and Alaska Native populations.

Did You Know?

Drinking alcohol increases the risk of developing breast cancer. When the body breaks down alcohol, it produces a substance that is similar to estrogen. Greater exposure to estrogen can lead to breast cancer.
Black women die from breast cancer at a higher rate than White women.