CDC/National Programs

CDC's National Program of Cancer Registries (NPCR) is essential to state cancer planning and the identification of populations that experience cancer health disparities. NPCR provides funding and technical assistance to 45 states, 3 territories, and the District of Columbia for enhancing established cancer registries or developing and implementing new cancer registries. Cancer data are collected by sex, age, and race/ethnicity and can be analyzed to show where disparities in cancer incidence and mortality exist.

CDC's National Breast and Cervical Cancer Early Detection Program (NBCCEDP) provides breast and cervical cancer screening, diagnosis, and treatment to low-income, medically underserved, and uninsured women (emphasizing recruitment of minority women) through states, tribes, and territories. For 14 years, NBCCEDP has targeted education and outreach efforts to low-income women with little or no health insurance to help raise awareness about the importance of early detection of breast and cervical cancers through screening. NBCCEDP is currently funding 50 states, the District of Columbia, 4 U.S. Territories, and 13 American Indian/Alaska Native organizations. This effort has contributed to the 18 percent increase in mammography use among women over age 50 and has helped to reduce disparities in screening for minority women. Of the more than 5 million screens done through the NBCCEDP, almost half have been provided to minority women. Through these screenings, as of September 2004, 18,839 breast cancers, 66,295 highly treatable precancerous cervical lesions, and 1,262 cases of invasive cervical cancer have been diagnosed.

CDC also responds by working to ensure that women diagnosed through NBCCEDP have access to treatment. In 2000, the Breast and Cervical Cancer Prevention and Treatment Act was passed by the U.S. Congress, giving states the option to provide women in the NBCCEDP with access to treatment through Medicaid. To date, 50 states and the District of Columbia have approved the Medicaid option provided by the Treatment Act. In 2001, Congress passed the Native American Breast and Cervical Cancer Treatment Technical Amendment Act to clarify that American Indian/Alaska Native women with breast or cervical cancer who are eligible for health services provided under a medical care program of the Indian Health Service or of a tribal organization are also included in the optional Medicaid eligibility category.

REACH Across the U.S. (REACH U.S.) is a national program and important cornerstone of CDC’s efforts to eliminate racial and ethnic health disparities in the United States. This program builds on the body of knowledge initiated by projects funded under the original REACH 2010 cooperative agreement program. Through establishing a national infrastructure to promote evidence- and practice-based public health programs, community-based participatory approaches, and the integration of systemic influences, REACH U.S. supports and disseminates programmatic activities that are successful in the elimination of racial and ethnic health disparities.

Clinical Trials and Cancer Treatment

People with cancer may want to take part in a clinical trial. Clinical trials study new potential treatment options. Visit the sites listed below for more information about finding clinical trials.

National Cancer Institute

• Learning About Clinical Trials
• Physician Data Query
• Finding Clinical Trials

National Institutes of Health

• Clinical Trials

American Cancer Society

• Clinical Trials*

A recent review of cancer care in the United States found that some cancer patients are not benefiting from advances in cancer care as much as others. To learn more about these issues, visit the Institute of Medicine reports on Ensuring Quality Cancer Care* and The Unequal Burden of Cancer.*

*Links to non-Federal organizations found at this site are provided solely as a service to our users. These links do not constitute an endorsement of these organizations or their programs by CDC or the Federal Government, and none should be inferred. CDC is not responsible for the content of the individual organization Web pages found at these links.