Cancer Prevention

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.

A new survey by the American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network (ACS CAN) found that 31% of adults have been more than one year behind on cancer screenings.

Over 120 volunteer advocates from across Pennsylvania, including cancer survivors, patients and caregivers, convened at the state Capitol yesterday for ‘Cancer Action Day,’ an event hosted annually by the American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network (ACS CAN). Advocates met with their state lawmakers and urged them to support policies that aid in the fight against cancer.

This week, New York state leaders released details on the state budget for FY 2025-26 and patient advocates are responding with disappointment over the failure to produce solutions to improve New Yorkers’ access to paid leave and, with it, their financial mobility. The same advocates visited Albany last month for the American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network’s (ACS CAN) annual Cancer Action Day to promote the importance of Senate Bill 172/Assembly Bill 84, the proposal to improve New Yorkers’ access to time off during treatment which now has 73 Assembly co-sponsors and passed the Senate in March.