WASHINGTON, DC –May 22, 2025 – Legislation aimed at increasing access to breast and cervical cancer screening was introduced today in the U.S. Senate. The bipartisan Screening for Communities to Receive Early and Equitable Needed Services (SCREENS) for Cancer Act would reauthorize the National Breast and Cervical Cancer Early Detection Program (NBCCEDP) for fiscal years 2026 through 2030. For more than 30 years, the NBCCEDP has effectively provided critical breast and cervical cancer screening, diagnostic tests and treatment to underserved, limited income, underinsured and uninsured communities nationwide.
The following is a statement from ACS CAN President Lisa A. Lacasse:
“We thank Senators Tammy Baldwin (D-WI) and Susan Collins (R-ME) for their leadership in introducing legislation that will help improve access to breast and cervical cancer screening for those who need them most.
“Improving access to cancer prevention and early detection services is vital to ending cancer as we know it, for everyone. Breast and cervical cancer screening can help improve survival and reduce the risk of death by finding cancer at an early stage when treatment is more effective and less expensive. Screening can also prevent cervical cancer by identifying precancerous lesions.
“Reauthorizing the NBCCEDP will ensure that program grantees can continue to receive critical resources and maintain the flexibility needed to provide access to lifesaving screening, diagnostic, and treatment services. This reauthorization will allow NBCCEDP to sustain its investments in outreach, improve cancer screening rates in underserved communities, and expand access to more eligible individuals who might not otherwise be screened.
“We urge the Senate to pass the SCREENS for Cancer Act to reauthorize the NBCCEDP and maintain access to breast and cervical cancer screening, which can help reduce the cancer burden and save more lives.”
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