Public Policy Resources

The American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network (ACS CAN) calls on Congress to fund the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) lifesaving Colorectal Cancer Control Program (CRCCP) at $51 million in FY 2027.

Our latest survey finds that cancer patients and survivors living in rural communities are significantly more likely than those in other areas to find it difficult to afford their health care and to accumulate medical debt related to their cancer care. As a result of these additional cost burdens, rural cancer patients and survivors are more likely to skip or delay recommended medical care, skip or delay taking a prescribed medication, fall behind on recommended cancer screenings, and to face food insecurity.

Overall, colorectal cancer incidence has declined largely attributed to an increase in screening and changes in risk factors. However, this trend is not consistent across all age groups.

After declining through much of the late 2000s and early 2010s, prostate cancer incidence rates have risen for nearly a decade. The increase includes distant-stage disease diagnoses among men of all ages, climbing by nearly 3% annually among those younger than 55 years.

El cáncer de seno es el tipo de cáncer que se diagnostica con mayor frecuencia en mujeres en EE.UU. Aunque en lasúltimas décadas se han logrado avances sustanciales en la reducción de la mortalidad por esta enfermedad,persisten desigualdades, especialmente entre las mujeres de raza negra.

Breast cancer screening is a continuum. It begins with a screening mammogram, which is often free for most insured women.

ACS CAN supports the Access to Breast Cancer Diagnosis Act to increase access to no cost breast cancer screening, including all diagnostic and supplemental tests.

Our latest survey finds that 31% of screening-age adults have been more than one year behind on recommended routine cancer screenings. Over half say out-of-pocket costs are a barrier to getting screened, while 47% report that getting insurance approvals for covered screenings is a barrier.

Breast cancer is the most common cancer diagnosed in women in the U.S. Although there has been substantial progress in reducing breast cancer mortality in the US over the past several decades, there are persistent disparities, especially among Black women. Additionally, breast cancer incidence is increasing, with the steepest trends among young women under 50. In 2025, an estimated 316,950 women in the U.S. will be diagnosed with invasive breast cancer with an additional 59,080 cases of ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS) in women, and 42,680 will die from the disease.