HPV vaccination rates are up, but Covid threatens to reverse gains

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) released some good and bad news in an article titled “National, Regional, State, and Selected Local Area Vaccination Coverage Among Adolescents Aged 13–17 Years — United States, 2019.” This report is the national benchmark for vaccination coverage for adolescents aged 13-17 years, including estimates for all states and selected local areas. 

It shows that in 2019, 71.5% of adolescents in the U.S. received the first dose of HPV vaccine (up 3.5% from 2018), and 54.2% were up to date with the HPV vaccination series (up 3.1% from 2018). 

American Cancer Society efforts are showing remarkable impact, as well. The 2019 cohort of 56 health systems (261 clinics) collaborating on quality improvement projects saw huge increases in HPV vaccination initiation and completion rates. Average initiation rates across the systems increased 11.3 percentage points from 56.8% to 68.1%. Average completion rates increased 7.2 percentage points from 34.7% to 41.9%. Notably, these systems reach nearly 40,000 13 year olds. 

Asked about this impressive work, Marcie Fisher-Borne, PhD, VACs program lead and managing director of Interventions and Implementation, said, “ACS field staff continue to prove that our coaching and support with HPV vaccination efforts matter. Our quality improvement projects demonstrate impressive outcomes that are seldom found in the literature in terms of vaccine rate changes. Are we impacting HPV rates around the country that will change the face of HPV cancers for our children? Absolutely! This is a huge success we should be shouting from our rooftops.”

The CDC data continue to support the Mission: HPV Cancer Free campaign goal of reducing geographic disparities in vaccination. Among adolescents living at or above the poverty level, those living in rural areas had lower coverage for HPV and meningococcal vaccines compared to those in urban areas.   

Looking ahead to 2020 vaccination coverage, the COVID-19 pandemic now threatens to reverse some of these gains. CDC data show vaccination has slowed in the U.S. this year, with the pandemic causing delays and sharp decreases in the number of adolescents getting their recommended vaccines.  

When asked for how ACS should contribute to the effort to get vaccination rates back on track, Debbie Saslow, PhD, managing director for HPV & GYN cancers, said, “Across the American Cancer Society, we continue to focus on mitigating the impact of COVID-19 on our mission work. For HPV cancer prevention, our focus is on getting adolescents and parents back on track with their well-visits and recommended vaccinations. We need to be working with public health programs, providers, and parents to encourage vaccination and drive awareness about this urgent public health need.”

*Shared from MySocietySource.

#TwentyForTwenty Challenge

Join the American Cancer Society's #TwentyForTwently Challenge! Raise $ for the A

merican Cancer Society while raising awareness that exercise can help reduce cancer risk!

Building on the momentum of #ShareThe Light, ACS on Aug. 31 is launch

Our best chance for success is for as many people as possible to post their challenge Aug. 31 - Sept. 2. Please share and ask your friends, family, and ACS partners to participate.ing a new revenue-generating social campaign – the #TwentyForTwenty Challenge – to encourage exercising as a way to help reduce by 20% one’s risk of 13 different cancers.

How It Works

Participants will make and post videos of themselves doing 20 reps of their favorite exercise (think jumping jacks, lunges, hula hoop circles) and donating $20 to @AmericanCancerSociety while challenging their friends to do the same! Participation 

from every area of the organization is encouraged for this fundraising initiative.

Your Call to Action

Post a video of yourself on social media (Facebook or Instagram) doing 20 reps of your favorite exercise with #TwentyForTwenty and tag @AmericanCancerSociety. Challenge your friends and family to do the same while also making a $20 donation to the American Cancer Society.

Sample video script: Did you know that exercise can reduce your risk of 13 different types of cancer by up to 20%? That’s why I’m participating in the ACS #TwentyForTwenty Challenge. I’m going to do 20 (name the exercise) and donate $20 to the American Cancer Society and I challenge you to do the same! [Complete 20 of your exercise] I’m challenging name, name, name! 

Sample social posts:

1. Did you know exercising can help reduce your risk of 13 types of cancer by up to 20%?! I challenge @Friend, @Mom, and @WorkoutCoach to the #TwentyForTwenty Challenge – donate $20 to @AmericanCancerSociety and do 20 reps of your favorite exercise
2. Join me in the #TwentyForTwenty Challenge by donating $20 to @AmericanCancerSociety and doing 20 reps of your favorite exercise! Now it’s your turn @Friend, @Mom, and @WorkoutCoach!

*Shared from MySocietySource.

Making Strides for Breast Cancer challenge

The Making Strides for Breast Cancer challenge in underway through September 14th, register and raiser $35 to earn a Making Strides tote!

Beginning Monday, August 24, and running through Monday, September 14, at noon CST, all Making Strides Against Breast Cancer participants are invited to participate in this year’s Sign Up to Fund the Future challenge. 

Here’s how this challenge works:

• All Making Strides participants who register and raise $35 or more online by Monday, September 24, 2020, at 10AM, will be eligible to receive a Making Strides tote! (There is a limit of one item per qualified participant, while supplies last.)
• Only online donations made by credit card, PayPal, and mobile app (including checks scanned through the app) are applicable; no cash or mailed check donations.  
• On a weekly basis, qualified participants will receive an email containing a redemption code to claim their Making Strides swag and requesting their shipping address.

Participants can choose to forego redemption of the incentive item to further support the mission of the American Cancer Society, if desired. 

Here’s how you can help: 

• Since word-of-mouth is our most powerful tool, discuss the challenge with friends and family, encouraging them to sign up and begin fundraising. 
• You can always share local and national social media posts on your personal social media pages. 

Just think of all the good we can do with this early burst of sign ups. More money for breast cancer research. More answers to even the toughest breast cancer questions through our 24/7 helpline. Now’s the time to help save lives AND earn Making Strides swag!  

*Shared from MySocietySource.

New CVS round-up campaign kicks off Sunday, Aug. 30

Shoppers can round up register purchases to fight cancer

In its third year of a three-year, $10 million campaign as ACS’ official retail pharmacy partner, CVS Health® will engage customers nationwide in a round-up campaign benefiting ACS.  

Beginning Sunday, Aug. 30, and running through Sept. 26, customers can round up their register purchases in more than 10,000 CVS Pharmacy stores and MinuteClinics nationwide to fight cancer. 

As part of the campaign, CVS Pharmacy customers can also support ACS by purchasing GlaxoSmithKline’s Nicorette or NicoDerm nicotine replacement therapy products. For every product purchased from Aug. 30 - Sept. 26, 2020, $1 will go to ACS, up to $100,000.  

CVS Health will support this year’s campaign with in-store announcements featuring Chief Medical and Scientific Officer Bill Cance, MD, and both CVS Health and ACS will amplify the initiative through digital and social media campaigns.  

Your Call to Action: Visit a CVS Pharmacy store or MinuteClinic and round up your purchase from Aug. 30 - Sept. 26 - and tell everyone you know about this campaign.

During this campaign, staff and volunteers are discouraged from approaching CVS Pharmacy, MinuteClinic, or CVS Health staff and stores. Questions related to CVS Health's employee engagement and volunteering, matching gifts, and donation solicitations for community-based events should be directed to Kate Turner, strategic director, Account Management, Corporate Alliances & Solutions, or your regional vice president, Communications & Marketing.

Reducing Health Disparities

For the third year in a row, ACS CAN placed an advertisement on the back cover of Urban One’s Engaging Black America special supplement, an annual publication shared with members of Congress. The ad notes that Black Americans experience disparate cancer outcomes, in large part due to lack of access to high-quality health care and directs readers to a newly launched Health Disparities page on our website. In addition, ACS CAN President, Lisa Lacasse also coauthored editorial content with ASCO President, Lori J. Pierce on the critical need to address racial disparities in cancer.

National Dog Day

Happy National Dog Day! Dogs demonstrate unconditional love, joy, compassion, and do not judge a cancer survivors’ abilities or appearance. Bark For Life is great way for dogs to join in the fight against cancer.

Coping with Cancer After a Natural Disaster

It is a difficult time for Californians as we face fires burning across our state. Dealing with a natural disaster on top of a worldwide pandemic makes it one of the most challenging periods in our lifetime.

Some of our participants, volunteers and staff have had to evacuate their homes on top of dealing with the effects of COVID-19. These situations mean that cancer patients and caregivers are more vulnerable than ever. 

If you, or someone you care about, is impacted by the fires or other natural disasters, visit our resource page for general information.

The American Cancer Society stands ready to support local cancer patients, caregivers and volunteers during the days, weeks and months ahead. If you need personalized support, please call our Cancer Information Specialists at 800.227.2345 any time day or night.

Tobacco use among high schoolers is climbing

 Half of high school students admit to having used electronic tobacco products

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) today released results from the Youth Risk Behavior Survey (YRBS) showing the rates of adolescents who use any tobacco product has increased significantly in the last two years (19.5% in 2017 – 36.5% in 2019) and half (50.1%) of all high schoolers surveyed said they have used an electronic tobacco product. 

Furthermore, 32.6% of those who use electronic tobacco products identify as frequent users, meaning they’ve used the product 20 out of the previous 30 days from when the survey was taken. The rate of frequent users is highest among those who use electronic cigarettes. The survey was conducted in 2019.

The following is a statement from Lisa Lacasse, president of the American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network (ACS CAN):

“While consistent with previous surveys, the significant increase in the number of students who report current use of any tobacco product is alarming. The fact that half of all high schoolers surveyed say they have used an electronic tobacco product (e-cigarette) and the frequency with which current e-cigarette users are using these products shows we need to do better to keep these products out of kids’ hands. There is no safe level of use of tobacco products, and no reason for a child to be using an e-cigarette. We know tobacco is the number one cause of preventable death and there is substantial evidence that e-cigarette use increases the risk of ever using combustible cigarettes among youth and young adults.

“The time to act is now. This stark increase in e-cigarette use and use of any tobacco product in just the last two years is unacceptable. Addressing tobacco use among our youth is paramount in the fight against cancer and efforts to reduce cancer disparities nationwide. The survey clearly shows we must make passing proven tobacco control policies a priority at all levels of government, including comprehensive smoke-free laws, tax increases on all tobacco products, including e-cigarettes, and fully funding state tobacco cessation programs. Additionally, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) must apply strict standards, including the product’s appeal to youth, as they review applications from tobacco product manufacturers who must apply by Sept. 9 to keep their products on the market.

“At such a critical time for public health, we should be doing everything in our power to keep our communities healthy and safe. We urge the Senate to pass the House-passed Reversing the Youth Tobacco Epidemic Act that would prohibit all flavored tobacco products. ACS CAN is committed to working with lawmakers at all levels of government to protect our kids from a lifetime of addiction to a product that kills more than 480,000 Americans every year.”

*Shared from MySocietySource.

Good news on black/white disparity in lung cancer incidence

 

​It has been reversed or eliminated among young adults, reflecting healthy change in smoking behavior among Black Americans

A trend of higher lung cancer incidence rates in young Black people versus young white people in the U.S. has flipped, with the Black/white gap disappearing in men and reversing in women. The changing trends coincide with steeper declines in smoking in Black Americans, according to a new study published August 20 in JNCI Cancer Spectrum.

The study also provides damning evidence of the harm of of R.J. Reynold’s tobacco advertisement campaign targeting African Americans in the 1990s, and underscores the importance of targeted tobacco prevention interventions. 

Lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer death in the U.S., with about 80% of the total 154,000 deaths recorded each year caused by cigarette smoking. Historically, lung cancer incidence rates have been higher in non-Hispanic Black people than non-Hispanic white people among men of all ages and among younger women, likely reflecting historically higher smoking rates in Black adults.

For the new study, ACS investigators led by Ahmedin Jemal DVM, PhD, pictured here, examined smoking prevalence data and national lung cancer incidence rates for Black and white people by sex among contemporary young birth cohorts, to investigate whether incidence patterns are consistent with race- and sex-specific smoking patterns.

They found incidence decreased in both Black and white men born since about 1947 and in women born since about 1957, with the declines steeper in Black people than white people. Those steeper declines led to the Black/white gap disappearing in men born in 1967 to 1972, and reversing in women born since about 1967. Similarly, historically higher smoking rates in Black people versus white people disappeared in men and reversed in women born since about 1965.

There was one notable exception. The authors identified increasing lung cancer incidence rates in Black men born around 1977-1982, which indeed led to higher lung cancer incidence rates in Black than white men born during this period. “This increase likely reflects the steep rise in initiation of smoking among Black adolescents in 1990s, which coincided with the R.J. Reynold’s tobacco advertisement campaign targeting African Americans,” write the authors. “Between 1991 and 1997, the prevalence of current cigarette use among Black high school students doubled from 14.1% to 28.2%.”

The authors say that their findings have significant public health implications. “Our study reflects the success of national, state, and local anti-tobacco public health policies and activities in the Black community despite the tobacco companies’ targeted and deceptive marketing strategies,” Ahmedin said. “At the same time, the increase in lung cancer incidence among Black men born around 1982 reflects the lack of strong public health policies to prevent the rise in smoking initiation in 1990s.”

“While these patterns herald progress in reducing racial disparities in lung cancer occurrence and the success of tobacco control in the Black community, the increasing lung cancer incidence rates in Black men born circa 1977-1982 is concerning and underscores the need for targeted tobacco prevention interventions,” the authors conclude.

*Shared from MySocietySource.

Meet the four new ACS Board members

New officers selected for 2021

At its August meeting, the American Cancer Society Board of Directors elected officers and directors for the 2021 Board. 

We welcome four new directors who will join the Board on January 1:

Monica M. Bertagnolli, MD, FASCO: Dr. Bertagnolli is the Richard E. Wilson Professor of Surgery in the Field of Surgical Oncology at Harvard Medical School, and a member of the Gastrointestinal Cancer and Sarcoma Disease Centers at Dana-Farber/Brigham & Women’s Cancer Center, where she collaborates with colleagues in medical oncology, radiation oncology, and pathology to treat cancer patients in a tertiary care setting. Dr. Bertagnolli graduated from Princeton University and attended medical school at the University of Utah. She trained in surgery at Brigham and Women’s Hospital and was a research fellow at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute (DF/BWCC).

Laura Hertz: Ms. Hertz is the co-founder and CEO of Gifts for Good, an innovative, millennial-driven, and socially conscious startup whose mission is to disrupt the world of business gifting. Prior to co-founding Gifts for Good, Ms. Hertz served as the creative director of Cultural Outreach and as an Audit Senior Associate at Deloitte. Ms. Hertz studied Business Administration at UC Berkeley's Haas School of Business and earned her Master’s in Social Entrepreneurship at the University of Southern California Marshall School of Business.

Edison T. Liu, MD: Dr. Liu is the president and CEO of The Jackson Laboratory in Bar Harbor, Maine. Previously, he was the founding executive director of the Genome Institute of Singapore (2001- 2011) and was the president of the Human Genome Organization (HUGO) from 2007-2013. Between 1997 and 2001, he was the scientific director of the National Cancer Institute's Division of Clinical Sciences in Bethesda, Md., where he was in charge of the intramural clinical translational science programs. He obtained his B.S. in chemistry and psychology, as well as his M.D., at Stanford University. He served his internship and residency at Washington University's Barnes Hospital in St. Louis, followed by an oncology fellowship at Stanford.

Robert Winn, MD: Dr. Winn is the director of VCU Massey Cancer Center. In addition to directing the activities of Massey’s 205 research members – researchers and physicians from 38 departments in 3 colleges and 4 schools at VCU – he also manages a research laboratory at VCU. His current basic science research focuses on the translational aspects of the role that proliferation pathways and cellular senescence play in lung cancer. As a pulmonologist, Dr. Winn actively treats veterans each week at the nearby Hunter Holmes McGuire VA Medical Center. Dr. Winn holds a B.A. from the University of Notre Dame and an MD from the University of Michigan Medical School in Ann Arbor. He completed an internship and residency in internal medicine at Rush- Presbyterian-St. Luke’s Medical Center in Chicago and a fellowship in pulmonary and critical care medicine at the University of Colorado Health Sciences Center in Denver.      

The following Board members were elected to serve as officers for 2021:

• John Alfonso, CPA, CGMA - Chair
• Michael T. Marquardt - Vice Chair 
• Carmen E. Guerra, MD, MSCE, FACP - Board Scientific Officer 
• Brian A. Marlow, CFA - Secretary/Treasurer 
• Jeffrey L. Kean - Immediate Past Chair 

Finally, we want to recognize and thank Daniel P. Heist, CPA, William D. Novelli, and Gregory L. Pemberton, Esq., whose service on the Board ends December 31, 2020.

For more details on the 18 directors and five officers, as well as their terms, read the 2021 Board directory.  

A press release will be available later this year to publicly announce our 2021 Board of Directors.

*Shared from MySocietySource.

Senior Citizens Day

Today is Senior Citizens Day! Seniors can reduce their risk of cancer by making healthy choices like eating right, staying active and not smoking. It's also important to follow recommended screening guidelines, which can help detect certain cancers early.

National Radio Day

World Photography Day

World Humanitarian Day

World Humanitarian Day is an international day dedicated to recognize humanitarians. Thank you to all our Relay For Life and American Cancer Society volunteers for all you do to help support the fight for a world without cancer.

ACS participates in global effort to eliminate cervical cancer

Cervical Cancer Action for Elimination network is part of World Health Organization effort

Did you know that, globally, a woman dies of cervical cancer every 2 minutes? Despite being preventable and curable if it is treated early, this disease continues to kill thousands of women every year and devastate families in the world’s most marginalized populations.

The American Cancer Society’s commitment to eliminate cervical cancer both domestically and globally recently reached another milestone with the adoption of a formal new WHO Global Strategy Towards Eliminating Cervical Cancer as a Public Health Problem. 

In collaboration with the Cancer Research UK (CRUK) and the Union for International Cancer Control (UICC), ACS is co-leading the global “civil-society” response to support implementation of the new strategy through the Cervical Cancer Action for Elimination (CCAE) network. (In this instance, “civil society” refers to a wide array of organizations such as community groups, non-governmental organizations (NGOs), charitable and faith-based organizations, professional associations, foundations, etc.)

CCAE is a network of organizations working together to accelerate global progress towards a world free from cervical cancer. CCAE builds connections and synergies between organizations advocating for cervical cancer elimination regionally and globally. It provides a forum for sharing information, resources, and best practices, as well as highlighting the work of civil society and its shared messaging around the world.

In acknowledgement of the WHO Global Strategy Towards Eliminating Cervical Cancer as a Public Health Problem, CCAE has relaunched its website (cervicalcanceraction.org) to amplify civil society voices globally for governments to take action towards reaching the 90-70-90 target by 2030; increase HPV vaccination to 90%, twice-lifetime cervical screening to 70%, and treatment of pre-invasive lesions and invasive cancer to 90%. 

In the coming months, the CCAE website will feature a range of tools and resources for organizations and individuals focused on increasing HPV vaccination, screening and treatment of precancerous lesions, and treatment and palliative care for invasive cancers. 

Visit the CCAE website to learn more about this global civil-society response that ACS is leading, or to sign up for the newsletter. If you would like to learn beyond what is on the website or contribute to these efforts, please email ccae@cancer.org.

*Shared from MySocietySource.

National Nonprofit Day

National Nonprofit Day recognizes the goals and positive impacts nonprofits have on local communities and around the world. The American Cancer Society’s mission is to save lives, celebrate lives, and lead the fight for a world without cancer. Thanks to the American Cancer Society and other cancer fighting organizations the US cancer death rate has dropped 27% in the past 25 years.

National Roller Coaster Day

Today, on National Roller Coaster Day we want to thank our partners at California's Great America who help make Courageous Kids Day an amazing event providing nearly 600 children with cancer and their families “a day away from cancer.” Learn more about Courageous Kids Day including how to apply, how to help, and how to donate to continue to provide this experience.