Cancer Types, Causes, Risk Factors, Prevention, and Federal Regulatory Agencies
Cancer Types
A list of general types of cancer, their causes, and treatment options.
Online Cancer Guide
http://www.onlinecancerguide.com/
This site provides comprehensive information about various types of cancers such as prostate cancer, breast cancer, lung cancer, skin cancer, throat cancer and many more.
Association of Clinical Oncology Cancer Foundation http://www.cancer.net/portal/site/patient
Search for 120+ different kinds of cancer.
Cancer Causes
A list of organizations focusing on various cancer causes.
International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) http://www.iarc.fr The IARC is part of the World Health Organization and its mission is to coordinate and conduct research on the causes of human cancer. IARC publishes a series of reports that focuses on the cancer risks associated with particular kinds of agents such as industrial chemicals, viruses, and ionizing radiation.
The Breast Cancer Fund
http://www.breastcancerfund.org
A leading national organization focused on identifying the causes of breast cancer and preventing the disease.
Department of Health and Human Services Document, CANCER AND THE ENVIRONMENT: WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW http://www.cancer.gov/images/Documents/
A booklet was created by the National Cancer Institute and the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences in response to many public requests for information. The content has been guided by responses from a series of focus groups from local communities throughout the countrythat were conducted prior to producing the booklet.
Cancer Risk Factors
Work Health Organization report: DIET, NUTRITION AND THE PREVENTION OF CHRONIC DISEASES
http://www.who.int/hpr/nph/docs/who_fao_expert_report.pdf The World Health Organization’s study of the relationship between chronic disease, diet and lifestyle.
Department of Health and Human Services Household Products Database
http://householdproducts.nlm.nih.gov A list of potential health impacts, safety and handling issues for common household products found under the kitchen sink, in the garage, in the bathroom, and on the shelves in the laundry room.
American Cancer Society Recommendations for Diet and Exercise http://www.cancer.org/Healthy/EatHealthyGetActive/index?ssSourceSiteId=null A summary of the benefits of good nutrition, regular physical activity, and staying at a healthy weight with regard to minimizing cancer risk.
Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA)http://www.msha.gov
An agency of the Department of Labor, MSHA’s mission is to protect the health and safety of the miner. The site contains a search engine that can be used to explore mining/cancer issues.
National Institutes of Health (NIH)
http://www.nih.gov/health
A single access point for consumer health resources at the NIH, the DHHS agency responsible for biomedical research.
Healthfinder
http://www.healthfinder.gov
A Web site created by DHHS to help consumers quickly find health and human services information.
Medline
http://www.nlm.nih.gov Medline provides the world’s most extensive collection of published medical information.
Cancer Prevention
Love/Avon Army of Women
http://www.armyofwomen.org/
This organization has two goals: To recruit one million healthy women of every age and ethnicity, including breast cancer survivors and women at high-risk for the disease, to partner with breast cancer researchers and directly participate in the research that will eradicate breast cancer.
Bright Pink
http://www.bebrightpink.org
Bright Pink is a national non-profit organization that provides education and support to young women who are at high risk for breast and ovarian cancer.
Facing Our Risk of Cancer Empowered (FORCE) http://www.facingourrisk.org/
FORCE is devoted to hereditary breast and ovarian cancer, with a mission that includes support, education, advocacy, awareness, and research specific to hereditary breast and ovarian cancer.
National Cancer Institute Genetics of Breast and Ovarian Cancer
http://www.cancer.gov/cancerinfo/pdq/genetics/breast-and-ovarian
This site provides detailed scientific information on the relationship of genetics to breast and ovarian cancer.
National Cancer Institute Breast Cancer Risk Assessment Tool
http://bcra.nci.nih.gov/brc/q1.htm The Breast Cancer Risk Assessment Tool is an interactive tool designed by scientists at the National Cancer Institute and the National Surgical Adjuvant Breast and Bowel Project (NSABP)to estimate a woman's risk of developing invasive breast cancer.
National Cancer Institute Fact Sheet for BRCA1 and BRCA2: Genetic Testing and Cancer Risk
http://www.cancer.gov/cancertopics/factsheet/Risk/BRCA This extensive fact sheet summarizes the options available to men or women who have or may have the genes BRCA1 and BRCA2 which predispose their carrier to breast or ovarian cancer.
The Keep A Breast Foundation
http://www.keep-a-breast.org
This group is a 501 (c) (3) non-profit organization with a mission of eradicating breast cancer by exposing young people to methods of prevention, early detection and support.
Federal Agencies That Regulate Exposures to Carcinogens
Numerous federal agencies are charged with establishing permissible levels of exposure to chemical substances in the general environment, home, and workplace, and in food, water, and pharmaceuticals. These include the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC), Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), and the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA). In addition, the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR) has broad jurisdiction over hazardous waste issues.
In many cases, more than one agency has the regulatory authority for a specific chemical, depending on its use and potential for human exposure. For example, pesticides are regulated by the EPA, FDA, USDA, and OSHA.
Additional detail on these federal agencies is found below.
Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC)
http://www.cpsc.gov
CPSC is an independent Federal regulatory agency responsible for reducing the risk of injuries and deaths associated with consumer products. The consumer hotline is 1-800-638-2772 or the toll-free TTY number is 1-800-638-8270.
Environmental Protection Agency(EPA)
http://www.epa.gov
The Environmental Protection Agency is a federal agency charged with regulating a broad range of activities and issues affecting human health and safeguarding the natural environment. Listed below are eight of the major subdivisions of the EPA, their missions and their URLs.
Envirofacts
http://www.epa.gov/enviro
This site advertises itself as a “one-stop source for environmental information where you live”. The site provides environmental information for areas defined in terms of street address, zip code, water body, county or city.
Search Your Community
http://www.epa.gov/epahome/comm.htm
This site provides access to EPA toxic release inventory databases organized by ZIP code and watershed.
EPA National Pesticide Information Center (NPIC) http://www.npic.orst.edu The NPIC provides scientific information about pesticides including safety issues for humans and pets, labeling, food/pesticide issues, storage and disposal. Agency personnel can be reached at 1-800-858-7378.
EPA Superfund Hotline
http://www.epa.gov/superfund/about.htm
This site deals with location and restoration of severely polluted sites (e.g., Love Canal) designated “Superfund” sites under the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation and Liability Act of 1980 (CERCLA). Superfund staff may be reached at 1-800-775-5037 or 703-413-0223
EPA Radon Web Site
http://www.epa.gov/radon/index.html
This site provides a comprehensive list of radon issues including specific health risks, maps of relative radon risk, home test kits, methods of restoring air quality in the home and so on. Agency personnel can be reached at 1-800-SOS-RADON (1-800-767-7236).
Food and Drug Administration (FDA)
http://www.fda.gov
The FDA attempts to ensure that food and drug products are safe and effective before they enter the marketplace. It also monitors food and drug products once they have reached the marketplace to ensure they remain safe and effective when compared to the latest standards. FDA staff can be reached at 1-888-463-6332.
Center for Toxicological Research (NCTR)
http://www.fda.gov/nctr
The NCTR provides innovative technology, methods development, vital scientific training, and technical expertise necessary for the FDA to fulfill its mission. Staff can be reached at 870-543-7000.
Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA)
http://www.osha.gov
OSHA is a Federal regulatory agency under the U.S. Department of Labor whose mission is to prevent work-related injuries, illnesses and deaths. To report accidents, unsafe working conditions, or safety and health violations call 1-800-321-6742. The toll-free TTY number is 1-877-889-5627, and the Office of Communications number is 202-693-1999.
United States Department of Agriculture (USDA)
http://www.usda.gov/wps/portal/usda/usdahome The USDA has several agencies and programs related to agricultural products including food safety inspection, animal and plant inspection services, nutrition programs, and agricultural research programs. Relationships between food and disease can be explored by means of the search engine provided.
Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR) http://www.atsdr.cdc.gov The ATSDRis an agency of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) and is the principal Federal agency involved with hazardous waste issues. Fact sheets on various chemicals/agents may be obtained from this site or by talking with staff through the ATSDR Information Center: 1-888-422-8737.
Federal Research and Scientific Information Agencies
Five federal agencies -- the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS), the National Cancer Institute (NCI), the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) and the National Center for Environmental Health (NCEH) -- are charged with generating scientific information that helps regulatory agencies make sound regulatory decisions.
National Institute of Environmental Health Services (NIEHS)http://www.niehs.nih.gov
The NIEHS was established to reduce human illness caused by unhealthy substances in the environment, and supports extensive biomedical research, prevention, and intervention programs, as well as training, education, and community outreach efforts. The NIEHS Office of communications for public inquiries can be reached at 1-919-541-3345.
National Toxicology Program (NTP)
http://ntp.niehs.nih.gov
The NTP coordinates toxicology research and testing activities within the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, evaluating sources of public health concern by developing and applying tools of modern toxicology and molecular biology and publishing the biennial Report on Carcinogens. To contact the NTP Office of Liaison and Scientific Review call 919-541-0530 (phone) or 919-541-0295 (fax); liaison@starbase.niehs.nih.gov (e-mail).
National Cancer Institute (NCI)
http://www.cancer.gov
The NCI coordinates the National Cancer Program, which conducts and supports cancer research,training, and health information dissemination throughout the country.
NCI Fact Sheets
http://www.cancer.gov/cancertopics/factsheet
Twelve different fact sheets, ranging from Cancer Type to Advances in Fighting Cancer can be downloaded from this site.
NCI Publications
http://www.cancer.gov/cancertopics/factsheet/NCI/order-publications
Up to 20 hard copies of NCI publications may be ordered at the URL listed above.
Press Releases
http://www.cancer.gov
Press releases are available on NCI’s main Web site or by calling 1-301-496-6641.
Surveillance Epidemiology and End Results (SEER)http://seer.cancer.gov
NCI’s SEER Program is the most authoritative source of information on cancer incidence and survival in the United States. The SEER Program is a premier source for cancer statistics in the United States. We collect information on incidence, prevalence and survival from specific geographic areas representing 28 percent of the US population and compile reports on all of these plus cancer mortality for the entire country.
Geographic Patterns of Rates of Cancer Death
http://www3.cancer.gov/atlasplus Geographic patterns of death rates of 40 different kinds of cancer over the period 1940-1994 can be accessed at this site.
NCI General Information on Cancer
The phone number for NCI’s toll-free Cancer Information Service and to request publications is: 1-800-4-CANCER (1-800-422-6237). The toll-free TTY number is: 1-800-332-8615.
International Cancer Canter of the NCI
http://wwwicic.nci.nih.gov/
News and abstracts from the Journal of the National Cancer Institute (JNCI) and other NCI publications. Connect with CANCERLIT, a comprehensive archival file of more than 1,000,000 bibliographic record describing cancer results published for the past 30 years in biomedical journals, proceedings of scientific meetings, books, technical reports, and other documents.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)
http://www.cdc.gov
The CDC is an agency of the Department of Health and Human Services that promotes health and quality of life by preventing and controlling disease, injury, and disability. Important components of the CDC include the following agencies.
National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)http://www.cdc.gov/niosh
NIOSH is the federal agency responsible for conducting research and making recommendations for the prevention of work-related disease and injury. Reach staff at 1-800-356-4674.
NationalCenterfor Environmental Health (NCEH) Health Line
http://www.cdc.gov/nceh
The NCEH directs, and coordinates a national program to maintain and improve the health of the American people by promoting a healthy environment. Their Health line can be reached via internet or phone (1-888-232-6789).
National Report on Human Exposure to Environmental Chemicalshttp://www.cdc.gov/exposurereport/ The Fourth National Report on Human Exposure to Environmental Chemicals is the most comprehensive assessment to date of the exposure of the U.S. population to chemicals in our environment.
NationalCenterfor Health Statistics (NCHS)
http://www.cdc.gov/nchs
The NCHS collects data by disease on such issues as health care/insurance, injuries, life stages and populations, and lifestyles.
CDC public inquiries
The CDC public inquiries staff can be reached at 1-800-311-3435.
National Program of Cancer Registries (NPCR)www.cdc.gov/cancer/npcrThe NPCR funds statewide cancer registries in 45 states, the District of Columbia, and several territories, and serves as a valuable resource for citizens concerned about a possible increased occurrence of cancer in their communities.
The National Breast and Cervical Cancer Early Detection Program www.cdc.gov/cancer/nbccedp/index.htm The NBCCEDP provides free screening exams to poor, uninsured women in all 50 states.
Office of Smoking and Health
www.cdc.gov/tobacco/mission.htm
Division of Cancer Prevention and Control
www.cdc.gov/cancer
Develops, implements, and promotes effective strategies for preventing and controlling cancer.
State health departments
http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/international/relres.html Provides weekly morbidity and mortality statistics by region – Pacific, Mountain, Central and Eastern.
