NPCR Celebrates 25th Anniversary

In 2017, CDC's National Program of Cancer Registries (NPCR) celebrates 25 years since the 1992 passage of the Cancer Registries Amendment. That amendment authorized CDC to expand cancer registries across the U.S. by improving existing registries and creating new ones where they did not exist.

NPCR supports 45 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, and the Pacific Island Jurisdictions, reaching 96% of the American population. In 2016, more than 1.7 million reports were submitted for the latest diagnosis year (2014), up 142% from 2001.

NPCR plans a number of exciting releases this year, including a new public use dataset; a brand new interactive platform to access and share data in United States Cancer Statistics; a new NPCR anniversary logo; and a behind-the-numbers profile section of the people and work involved in collecting more than 1.5 million cancer cases every year.

Cervical Health Awareness Month

January is Cervical Health Awareness Month. Each year, about 12,000 women in the United States get cervical cancer and about 4,000 women die from it. Many of these cancers can be either prevented or found early, when it is easier to treat. Vaccination for human papillomavirus (HPV) can protect women and girls against the types of HPV that cause most cervical cancers. CDC's Inside Knowledge: Get the Facts about Gynecologic Cancer campaign raises awareness about cervical and other gynecologic cancers.

New Guidelines on HPV Vaccination

The Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) recommended a change in the dosing schedule for HPV vaccine, according to a December 16, 2016 Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report article. HPV vaccination can prevent many types of HPV that cause cervical cancer, as well as other cancers in men and women. For males and females vaccinating before their 15th birthday, ACIP recommends 2 doses of vaccine. Those ages 15 and above should have three doses of vaccine.

Colorectal Cancer CME Updated

The continuing medical education activity offered by CDC, called "Screening for Colorectal Cancer: Optimizing Quality" now contains updates to reflect the newly released U.S. Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) screening recommendations for colorectal cancer. The USPSTF recommends screening beginning at 50 years and continuing until age 75. It emphasizes that the decision to screen for colorectal cancer past age 75 should be an individual one between doctors and patients.

Communication Activities with NACDD

The National Association of Chronic Disease Directors (NACDD) is looking for proposals from vendors with experience in health communication campaigns. The Innovative Communication in Cancer Prevention and Control Project is meant to find new ways of communicating complex health information to people needing to make decisions about their health care. NACDD is also asking for proposals for support of cancer prevention and control workforce, mostly in state health departments.

National Cancer Conference Call for Abstracts

The 2017 CDC National Cancer Conference, which will take place in Atlanta, Georgia on August 14 through16, will begin accepting abstracts on Friday, January 6. The conference, "Visualizing the Future through Prevention, Innovation, and Communication," will feature three tracks and plenary sessions with nationally renowned speakers.