Cancer Research

CDC’s Division of Cancer Prevention and Control (DCPC) conducts and supports studies, often in collaboration with partners, to develop and apply sound science to reduce the burden of cancer and eliminate health disparities. This research uses many different areas of expertise (behavioral science, economics, epidemiology, health services, medicine, and statistics) to address the public health research needs of DCPC programs, health care providers, people affected by cancer, and the larger comprehensive cancer control community.

Use our Citation Search Tool to find scientific articles by title, journal, author, year of publication, and topic. Also see our U.S. Cancer Statistics data briefs.

Featured Research

Annual Report to the Nation

Cancer death rates declined from 2001–2017

Cancer death rates continued to drop in the U.S. from 2001 to 2017, but more work is needed to address disparities in screening and some risk behaviors.

Vital Signs

Screening for colorectal cancer: Don’t wait — 50’s great!

Colorectal cancer is preventable. Screening is recommended beginning at age 50, but only 1 in 2 adults gets a screening test in their early 50s.

Only 1 in 8 people who met the criteria to be screened for lung cancer reported being screened as recommended. Read Article »

Photo of a couple looking at their laptop.

Article Summaries

DCPC scientists author or co-author many articles that are published in scientific journals each year. Selected articles have been summarized.

Preventing Cancer Across a Lifetime

Some cancer risk factors can be linked closely to certain age ranges. While you can’t avoid getting older, some cancers appear later in life because of actions taken over many years. CDC scientists and other experts created the Cancer Prevention Across the Lifespan workgroup to learn how cancer can be prevented at different ages.