Half of U.S. adults younger than 30 say they have had a sunburn at least once in the past year, a government survey found — a sign young people aren't heeding warnings about skin cancer.  The rate of sunburn is about the same as it was 10 years earlier, reversing progress reported just five years ago.

Experts say that even one blistering burn can double the risk of developing melanoma, an often-lethal form of skin cancer.  (Read More)

A new report from the CDC reveals that tanning bed use is still rising despite the myriad warnings of skin cancer. Among findings in the latest report is that the highest prevalence of tanning bed use is among white women between the ages of 18 to 21, with nearly 32 percent admitting to have used one in the last year.

The study also noted that sunburns were common among young white users. About half of adults between 18 to 29 were burned from the tanning beds at least once in the past year, with some 65 percent of white people reporting burns, the report noted. (Read More)

One in six cancer cases worldwide can be traced back to preventable or treatable infections, finds a new study. The data show that 2 million new cancers in 2008 were caused by such infections.

Most such cancers could be attributed to four infectious bugs: human papillomavirus (HPV), the stomach bacterium Helicobacter pylori, hepatitis B and hepatitis C. All four can be prevented or treated. (Read More)

More than half of women in their 40s diagnosed with breast cancer after a routine mammogram had no family history of the disease, finds a new study that may add to the debate over the timing of breast cancer screening.

Family history means a first-degree relative with the disease. Of those without family history who were found to have breast cancer, "64 percent of these women had invasive disease," said researcher Dr. Stamatia Destounis, a radiologist at Elizabeth Wende Breast Care Center and a clinical associate professor at the University of Rochester in New York. (Read More)

Men rarely get breast cancer, but those who do often don't survive as long as women, largely because they don't even realize they can get it and are slow to recognize the warning signs, researchers say.

On average, women with breast cancer lived two years longer than men in the biggest study yet of the disease in males.The study found that men's breast tumors were larger at diagnosis, more advanced and more likely to have spread to other parts of the body. Men were also diagnosed later in life; in the study, they were 63 on average, versus 59 for women.  (Read More)

Overweight or obese women who lose at least 5 percent of their body weight may lower their levels of the type of inflammation linked with cancer, according to a new study. The findings show that women who dieted, exercised, and lost weight saw their levels of an inflammation marker called C-reactive protein drop by 42 percent and lowered their levels of another inflammation marker linked to cancer, called interleukin-6, by 23 percent over the course of a year. (Read More)

Researchers have identified a 'genetic switch', carried by one in five women, that doubles their risk of developing breast cancer. Carrying the genetic alterations increase a woman's lifetime risk of developing breast cancer from one in eight in the general population to one in four.  However, this means treatment may potentially be available early, perhaps even preventatively, and tailored to the genetic profile of the specific type, meaning drugs will work better, with fewer side effects. (Read More)

Human papillomavirus infection tends to lasts longer in college-aged black women than whites, possibly putting them at a higher risk of cervical cancer, according to a new study. The researchers also found that black women are 70 percent more likely to have an abnormal Pap test -- the screening for cervical cancer -- than their white counterparts. read more.

Cancer rates in the U.S. continue to fall, according to a report released on March 28, 2012.

The rate of new cancer cases has been inching down at a rate of about half a percent each year since 1999. And the overall cancer death rate has dropped by 1.5 percent annually in adults and 1.7 percent in children.

Health officials say cancer rates have been going down thanks to better screening, treatment advances, and efforts to prevent some cancers by reducing smoking and other unhealthy behaviors.

The CDC released new HPV brochures that are adapted and translated for Korean, Filipino, and Vietnamese men and women. These brochures explain HPV and related conditions, including transmission, prevention, testing, and partner communication. You can access them from the Common Infections Common Reality brochures page here.

Women In Government's 13th Annual Eastern Regional Conference featured the current and cutting-edge trends in research and HPV vaccine use, as well as diagnosis and treatment of cervical cancer and other cancers related to HPV. The conference had a presentation by Dr. Charles Dunton, the director of gynecologic oncology at the Lankenau Medical Center and Professor of Obstetrics and Gynecology at Jefferson Medical College. To view his presentation, please click here.

A report released by Women In Government (WIG) shows that states are making progress in the fight against cervical cancer. However, despite tremendous progress, there still is substantial variation with cervical cancer prevention efforts, particularly for underserved populations, across the states. Among the steps still needed to make effective cervical cancer prevention a reality for women at all socioeconomic levels is to increase funding for screening and vaccination programs to ensure access for women who are uninsured or underinsured. These findings from A Roadmap for Success: The State of Cervical Cancer Prevention in America 2010, the sixth and final state-by-state comparison report released by WIG, are designed to highlight the tremendous strides that have been made to battle cervical cancer since WIG took up the initiative six years ago.

January is Cervical Cancer Awareness Month. Women In Government encourages state legislators to address cervical cancer prevention by increasing access to the most advanced screening and preventive technologies, particularly for underserved women, and increasing awareness about HPV and cervical cancer.

On October 16, 2009, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved the use of Gardasil in boys aged 9-26 years and the use of Cervarix in girls aged 10-25 years. 

Gardasil, made by Merck, is already FDA-approved for use in girls aged 10-25 years.  While the FDA approved Gardasil for use in boys, the Advisory Committee on