Causes and Prevention Research

Over the past 45 years, the majority of deaths averted from breast, cervical, colorectal, lung, and prostate cancer were due to prevention and screening, rather than treatment advances, NCI researchers have found.

A large analysis of data from nearly 400,000 healthy U.S. adults followed for more than 20 years has found no association between regular multivitamin use and lower risk of death.

Eliminating disparities will require the efforts of people from across a broad spectrum of scientific research, according to leading experts, and must include working in concert with people and organizations in the community.

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for the first time has granted marketing authorization for a blood test, the Invitae Common Hereditary Cancers Panel. The test detects inherited genetic changes that increase the risk of developing certain cancers.

When it comes to cancer prevention, primary care clinicians play a critical role. But there are many barriers to integrating cancer prevention into primary care. Researchers are trying to better understand those barriers and how best to overcome them.

The consequences of climate change have already affected cancer care in the United States, particularly in areas hit by hurricanes and wildfires. Researchers are studying how to mitigate that impact and better understand the effect of climate change on the risk of developing cancer.

A study confirmed that most US adults aren’t aware of the link between alcohol consumption and cancer. Even among those surveyed who were aware, some believed risk varies by the type of alcohol.

A new study suggests that people with obesity who had bariatric surgery had a much lower risk of five common cancers that aren’t related to hormone levels, including lung, colorectal, and esophageal cancer.

A new study finds that former smokers who stick to a healthy lifestyle have a lower risk of dying from all causes, including cancer and heart and lung disease, than those who don’t have healthy habits.

A proposed rule prohibiting menthol flavoring is expected to make cigarettes less appealing, lower smoking rates, and reduce diseases and deaths caused by cigarette smoking. Tobacco control researchers say the proposed ban could have the greatest impact on youth and African American smokers.

One dose of the HPV vaccine was highly effective in protecting young women against infection from high-risk HPV types, a study in Kenya found. A single dose would make HPV vaccines more accessible worldwide, reducing cervical cancer’s global burden.

With the passage of the Air is Life Act of 2021, the Navajo Nation enacted the most comprehensive ban on commercial tobacco products of any American Indian tribe to date.

Companies that want to market e-cigarettes in the United States must now submit applications to the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). In this interview, Mitch Zeller, director of FDA’s Center for Tobacco Products, provides insights into FDA actions on e-cigarettes.

Despite consistent evidence that HPV vaccines are safe and effective, a new study shows that more parents are citing concerns about their safety. Researchers cautioned that efforts are needed to counter this trend and improve vaccination rates.

Nearly 750,000 cases of cancer diagnosed worldwide in 2020, or 4%, can be attributed to alcohol consumption, according to a new study. While heavy drinking accounted for most cases, light and moderate drinking accounted for a modest amount.

The director of NCI’s Division of Cancer Prevention, Dr. Philip Castle, discusses the division’s priority areas and his vision for making more rapid progress in cancer prevention, including moving toward precision prevention and immunoprevention.

One study examined whether genetic changes associated with exposure to radiation from the 1986 accident were passed from parent to child. A second study documented the genetic changes in thyroid tumors from people exposed as children or fetuses to radiation from the accident.

The study also found that people with neurofibromatosis type 1 (NF1) developed some cancers at an earlier age and were more likely to die from several cancer types, which make preventive measures and early diagnosis important for people with NF1.

People who live in counties in the United States with persistent poverty are more likely to die from cancer than people in other counties, a new study shows, highlighting the influence of social and structural factors on health.

The age at which people tend to start smoking has shifted upwards, with more young adults than teens trying smoking for the first time or becoming regular smokers, according to a new study.

Even as a federal advisory panel has supported the use of aspirin to reduce the risk of colorectal cancer in some people, researchers are investigating how aspirin works against cancer and whether it may help reduce the risk of other cancers.

Regular use of low-dose aspirin may increase an older person’s risk of being diagnosed with advanced cancer and of dying from cancer, results from the ASPREE clinical trial suggest. Learn more about what this 19,000-participant study found.

On January 1, 2020, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) began requiring food manufacturers to display updated nutrition facts labels on their product packaging. Experts from FDA and NCI discuss the update and the research that underpins the changes.

More than a decade after vaccination, women who had received a single dose of the HPV vaccine continued to be protected against infection with the two cancer-causing HPV types targeted by the vaccine, an NCI-funded clinical trial shows.

Researchers tested a program that trains pediatricians’ offices to provide smoking cessation treatment to parents during visits with their child’s doctor. The approach is intended to reach adults who are motivated to quit to protect their child’s health.

Findings from a new NCI study of patients who received radioactive iodine (RAI) treatment for hyperthyroidism show an association between the dose of treatment and long-term risk of death from solid cancers, including breast cancer.

Researchers in the United Kingdom have found that e-cigarettes combined with counseling may be more helpful to smokers trying to quit tobacco than counseling and nicotine-replacement products, such as patches, gums, and lozenges.

The BRCA Exchange, a global resource that includes data on thousands of inherited variants in the BRCA1/BRCA2 genes, is available to the public through a website and new smartphone app.

In a new study, NIH investigators found that patients treated with chemotherapy for most solid tumors had an increased risk of tMDS/AML, a rare but often fatal blood cancer. The study, which used population-based data, was published in JAMA Oncology.

In the largest-ever randomized trial testing vitamin D for cancer prevention, the supplement did not lower the risk of developing cancer. The Vitamin D and Omega-3 Trial (VITAL) includes a nationally representative sample of nearly 26,000 participants.

Eight factors may explain more than 80% of the relationship between poverty and disparities in cancer death rates at the county level, according to a new study. The largest mediator was a surprise to the researchers.

Researchers are shifting how they assess diet and cancer risk, looking beyond the impact of individual foods or nutrients on health, and taking a more holistic approach, considering dietary patterns across the lifespan.

Adolescents who use pod-style e-cigarettes had higher levels of nicotine in their bodies than is typically found in adolescents who smoke conventional cigarettes, a new study has found. The study's findings are concerning for several reasons.

Health care providers should emphasize cancer prevention when discussing HPV vaccination with the parents of preteens who are due to receive the vaccine, results from a new study show.