Why is it important to have a conversation about minorities and cancer?   Dr. Oralia Dominic of Penn State Hershey College of Medicine says, “When you hear the word ‘cancer,’ you associate it with a death sentence. 20 or 30 years ago, there wasn’t a lot of hope. But today, in 2012, we are more advanced in what we know and the tools that are available to detect and, treat and prevent the disease.  My hopes for this conversation are that individuals are inspired and encouraged to take action and take control of their health.“

Washington, D.C., May 29, 2012—The National Breast Cancer Coalition (NBCC) applauds Senator Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) who, along with Senators Collins (R-ME), Brown (D-OH), Murkowski (R-AK), Shaheen (D-NH), Heller (R-NV), Warner (D-VA) and Grassley (R-IA) introduced legislation, S. 3237, aimed at ending breast cancer. Similar legislation, H.R. 3067, was introduced in the House of Representatives last fall by Reps. Karen Bass (D-CA-33) and Rep. Charlie Bass (R-NH-2) and currently has more than 210 bipartisan cosponsors.

The confusing and ever-changing world of Papanicolaou (Pap) testing has just taken another turn thanks to the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) publication of new guidelines for cervical cancer screening. The new recommendations were released this past March with the hallmark being less frequent testing and the confusion and frustration has already started.

(Lancaster) -- Skin cancer is the most common form of cancer in the United States. Now that summer's around the corner, it's especially important to take care of the body's largest organ when venturing outside. But many people, including African-Americans and Latinos, don't protect their skin against the sun because they don't think they're at risk of getting skin cancer.

Cancer News May 23, 2012

New lung cancer screening guidelines now recommend annual scans but only for an older group (aged 55 to 74) of current or former heavy smokers.  As the risks of screening younger or older smokers or nonsmokers outweigh any benefits.

Young adults are increasing their risk for skin cancer according to a pair of studies by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the National Cancer Institute.

[Harrisburg], May 17, 2012 – A new survey from the American Cancer Society finds women are 10 percent less likely than men to make time for physical activities they enjoy and that 40 percent of women said they would be more physically active in their free time if it felt less like work and more like play.

As a result, the American Cancer Society’s Choose You movement is calling on women to help close this gap and to discover fun ways to get active with its 100,000 Acts of Play Challenge.

As the U.S. population grows in number and in age, the question of how we will continue to provide health care for our citizens is a critical one. An imminent nursing shortage—as evidenced by the lack of sufficient students currently enrolled in nursing programs—has made nursing one of the most in-demand careers in coming decades, with the Bureau of Labor Statistics expecting better than average job growth for the field between 2010 and 2020.

(Mount Joy) -- More than fifteen years ago, scores of firefighters from Central Pennsylvania helped put out a fire at the PennDOT headquarters in Harrisburg. Later, they'd find out they were exposed to asbestos and other substances that could lead to lung cancer.

Knowing your family medical history is important.  What rights do adoptees in Pennsylvania have to obtain information about their biological parents' medical histories?