Cancer is the second leading cause of death in this country. However, improvements in cancer detection, diagnosis, and treatment have increased the survival rate for many types of cancer.

Nearly everyone is exposed to asbestos at some time during their life. However, most people do not become ill from their exposure. People who become ill from asbestos are usually those who are exposed to it on a regular basis.

The list of common cancers includes cancers that are diagnosed with the greatest frequency in the United States. Cancer incidence statistics from the American Cancer Society and other resources were used to create the list.

An estimated 25,000 cancers associated with the human papillomavirus (HPV) occurred annually in 38 states and the District of Columbia between 1998 and 2003, new research suggests.

A new report released by the CDC shows that, for the first time in 3 years, the prevalence of cigarette smoking among adults in the United States fell significantly, from 20.8 percent in 2006 to 19.8 percent in 2007.

Preliminary results from a large, randomized clinical trial for patients ages 16 to 60 with previously untreated acute myeloid leukemia (AML) show that patients who received a high dose of daunorubicin during initial therapy lived longer than patients who received a standard dose of the same drug.

Researchers have found that patients with ovarian cancer who experienced symptoms of depression and stress had elevated levels of an enzyme associated with the spread of cancer in cells in the tumor microenvironment.

A large-scale survey of genetic changes in lung tumors has identified 26 frequently altered genes in the most common form of the disease, lung adenocarcinoma.

Initial, independent review of study data from the Selenium and Vitamin E Cancer Prevention Trial (SELECT) shows that selenium and vitamin E supplements, taken either alone or together, did not prevent prostate cancer.

Women with low-risk, node-negative, early stage breast cancer who received a shorter, more intense course of radiation therapy after breast-conserving surgery had the same risk of disease recurrence and equivalent cosmetic outcomes 10 years after treatment compared with women who received a longer, standard course of radiation therapy.

Adults aged 50 to 75 should be screened for colorectal cancer using one of three methods that are deemed equally effective in new recommendations from the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force.

Virtual colonoscopy, is comparable to standard colonoscopy in its ability to accurately detect cancer and precancerous polyps and could serve as an initial screening exam for colorectal cancer.

Researchers have shown that increased expression of a gene called SIRT1 in cancer cells plays a significant role in the development of resistance to the chemotherapy drug cisplatin.

Injecting high doses of vitamin C into mice with aggressive cancers slowed the growth of their tumors significantly without affecting normal tissues, researchers are reporting.

The incidence of suicide among U.S. cancer patients is nearly twice that of the general population, and suicide rates vary among patients with cancers of different anatomic sites.

In a preliminary clinical trial, most patients with acute leukemia who received a cord-blood stem cell transplant through an injection directly into the iliac crest of the pelvic bone, experienced complete hematologic recovery within an average of 36 days.

Relatively few breast cancer survivors who are disease-free for 5 years after starting a systemic adjuvant therapy such as chemotherapy or tamoxifen experience a recurrence, but preventive treatments are needed to reduce the relapse rate further.

New research indicates that giving patients a continuous low dose of an immune system booster is safe and produces similar immune responses and fewer side effects than the more common dosing method, which is not well tolerated by many patients.

Scientists using a three-dimensional cell culture system have identified a mechanism by which dormant, metastatic tumor cells can begin growing again after long periods of inactivity.

In updated recommendations released today, the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) is advising against the routine use of prostate-specific antigen (PSA) testing to screen for prostate cancer in men age 75 and older.

The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation funds will be used to build economic evidence to support tobacco control and to educate the public about the harmful effects of tobacco.

By using targeted nanoparticles carrying significantly reduced doses of chemotherapy, researchers have demonstrated the ability to preferentially block the spread of cancer, while largely sparing the surrounding tissues.

The prevalence of self-reported secondhand smoke (SHS) exposure at home and changes in any exposure declined significantly in nonsmoking children, adolescents, and adults in recent years.

Scientists have found that vaccination with a heat-killed, nontoxic yeast that is genetically engineered to manufacture a common tumor protein can induce specific and repeated anti-tumor immune responses in mice.

Treating cancer patients with interleukin-7 (IL-7), a small protein that can stimulate the immune system, leads to an increase in lymphocytes which are key to the production of effective immune responses in the body.

The Breast Cancer 3-Day is a weekend of hope, as we honor lives lost, celebrate survivors, promote breast cancer research and help bring breast cancer care to those who so desperately need it.

Researchers have identified a pattern of gene activity in mice that may help to predict individual risk for breast cancer metastasis and survival in humans.

A study using data from the Michigan Tumor Registry and the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services showed that elderly Medicaid-insured patients in the state are less likely to initiate or complete chemotherapy for colorectal cancer compared with Medicare-insured patients.

A single protein may trigger the spread of breast cancer cells to other parts of the body by altering the behavior of large numbers of genes.

An analysis of data from a phase III clinical trial indicates that in some breast cancer patients, use of the aromatase inhibitor letrozole after 5 years of adjuvant therapy with tamoxifen has survival benefits even if begun several years after completing tamoxifen.

Most colorectal cancers are thought to arise from polypoid adenomas - growths that protrude from the mucous membrane in the colon or rectum.

Smoking plays a role in lung cancer development and now scientists have shown that smoking also affects the way genes are expressed, leading to alterations in cell division and regulation of immune response.

Researchers have shown that vaccinating mice with a modified form of a virus containing proteins from breast cancer cells can kill large breast cancer tumors and tumors that have spread to the lungs.

Researchers have identified a previously unknown virus and linked it to Merkel cell carcinoma, a rare but usually rapidly fatal skin cancer.

Researchers several years ago identified a population of cells within melanoma skin cancers that may cause resistance to chemotherapy.

In the first published study of patterns of breast cancer in British black women, researchers found that black women were diagnosed with invasive breast cancer at a significantly younger median age than white women.

An international research team has identified a link between the expression patterns of a class of molecules called microRNAs and how a patient's colon cancer may progress.

New research has shown that a unique pattern of small RNA molecules that regulate gene activity, can accurately predict whether liver cancer will spread and whether liver cancer patients will have shorter or longer survival, even patients with early stage disease.

Researchers at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center have tested a Web-based system that allows cancer patients to report chemotherapy side effects to their clinicians in real time.

Cancer cells tend to be much softer, or more elastic, than normal cells, and measuring this characteristic on the nanometer scale could be another way to diagnose cancer.

The largest randomized trial of its kind has shown that offering more intensive tobacco quitline services, including longer phone counseling sessions and free nicotine replacement therapy (NRT), is a highly effective - and cost-effective - way to help smokers quit.

Recent in vitro, animal, and human research has suggested a possible role for vitamin D in decreasing cancer incidence, mortality, or both.

Ethnic and racial minorities and low-income patients often encounter barriers to cancer treatment and care, and one proven strategy to reduce such health disparities is to provide ethnically and linguistically appropriate lay patient navigators.

Women ages 40 and younger with early-stage breast cancer had a reduced risk of cancer returning in the same breast by undergoing an extra dose of radiation after surgery to conserve the breast, followed by standard radiation treatment.

As a mother of five and wife of 18 years, I'm always on the go. Because of a history of cancer in my family, I make time to get my regular check-ups, including my annual gyn appointment, no matter how busy I am. For 19 years now, I've always come in and had my Pap test done, and it's always been fine. I've never had any issues or problems until recently.

“I’m going to be a rock star!” That was my dream in January of 2000, when I quit my day job to pursue fulltime my one true passion, music. My band was doing great and I could not have been happier. One week later, I saw blood. Immediately, I called my gynecologist, who chalked it up to stress, told me not to worry and said he would see me at my annual exam in March. Of course, he’s the doctor, so I trusted him and happily continued to write songs and book my band to play. I felt so lucky to be able to pursue my dreams. This was not to last...

"While some women might be a little embarrassed about talking about the fact that they have HPV, my experience has taught me that this is something women should be talking about more openly! If I hadn’t had the HPV test, I know things would have turned out differently."

The average woman pays more attention to her children’s medical history or pet’s vet schedule than her own health. Though research has shown that the more involved and informed patients are in managing their own health, the better their outcome, many don’t recognize the importance of taking charge of their health until it’s too late.

Among a growing number of Americans seeking general health information and information about cancer, the Internet remains a frequent first source, even though the public's trust in online material about health has declined.

Several protease inhibitors that are used in combination with other drugs to treat Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) infection may also be effective against certain types of cancer, according to researchers from the National Cancer Institute.

Researchers have identified molecular changes in multiple myeloma cells that activate an important biological pathway associated with cell growth and survival, thereby revealing potential new targets for drugs to treat this cancer.

An international team of investigators has identified the first human antibodies that can neutralize different strains of virus responsible for outbreaks of severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS).

Adolescents who see smoking depicted in movies are more likely to become established smokers, according to a study funded by the National Cancer Institute.

A vaccine developed to prevent infection with human papillomaviruses (HPV), the cause of cervical cancer, was found to be ineffective for treating women with pre-existing HPV infections, according to a study published in the August 15 Journal of the American Medical Association.

Over half the forms of cancer diagnosed every year are skin cancer, and it is one of the most common forms of cancer among men.

Statistics show that cancer rates are lower in countries where people regularly drink green tea, and research has shown that polyphenols are one source of the health benefit of green tea.

Women who adopted a low-fat diet that was very rich in vegetables, fruit, and fiber after treatment for breast cancer did not reduce their risk of recurrence compared with similar women who consumed 5 or more servings of fruits and vegetables a day.

Researchers from Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center and collaborators in Seattle have developed a fluorescent bioconjugate that targets numerous tumor types with high resolution.

A Canadian population-based study, found that survival among women diagnosed with metastatic breast cancer (MBC) in British Columbia has improved over the past decade, and that this appeared to be related to the introduction of several new therapeutic agents for MBC during the 1990s.

A study that set out to test folate for prevention of early-stage colon cancer instead found a higher incidence of colorectal adenomas in the test group.

A clinical trial to rigorously evaluate shark cartilage as a cancer therapy found no benefits for patients.

Prophylactic cranial radiation following treatment with chemotherapy doubles survival at 1 year and reduces the risk of developing brain metastases among patients with extensive-disease small-cell lung cancer.

Bevacizumab (Avastin) is the fourth targeted drug in recent years to help patients with advanced kidney cancer, a disease that historically has been difficult to treat.

Cetuximab (Erbitux), a monoclonal antibody targeting the epidermal growth factor receptor, has proven effective in treating several kinds of head and neck cancer.

A blood test that detects proteins commonly released by a growing tumor could one day become a useful tool for monitoring the effectiveness of chemotherapy and radiation treatment in people with advanced throat cancer

After an average follow-up of 3 years, survival among the 467 infants and children was 96 percent, which is comparable to or better than that seen in large trials of standard treatment.

Researchers have identified common genetic variations associated with breast cancer in several populations of women.

Long-term follow-up results from a Gynecologic Oncology Group clinical trial showed that cisplatin-based chemotherapy significantly improved both progression-free and overall survival compared with hydroxyurea alone.

May has been designated as Melanoma/Skin Cancer Awareness Month.

The drop in mammography rates in the United States in recent years is cause for concern because it could contribute to a future rise in breast cancer deaths.

A new epidemiological study led by researchers from Johns Hopkins University implicates human papillomavirus (HPV) exposure and infection as strong risk factors for oropharyngeal cancer.

Results from an average of 3 years of follow-up from clinical trials of Gardasil, a vaccine that protects against the two types of human papillomavirus (HPV), have been published in the May 10 New England Journal of Medicine.

On April 20, President Bush signed the National Breast and Cervical Cancer Early Detection Program Reauthorization Act (HR 1132) into law.

Any one of four DNA variants in a gene involved in mediating inflammation may significantly increase the risk of colon cancer in African Americans.

Researchers from Columbia University have developed a novel gene therapy technique that uses a virus engineered to replicate only within cancer cells and produce a protein toxic to those cells.

Despite equal access to health care services, differences persist in the size, stage, and grade of breast cancer for Hispanic women compared with non-Hispanic white women

Women with ovarian cancer who are aged 70 and older, African American or Hispanic, or insured by Medicaid are less likely to receive the recommended comprehensive surgical treatment.

The sharp decline in the rate of new breast cancer cases in 2003 may be related to a national decline in the use of hormone replacement therapy (HRT), according to a new report in the April 19, 2007, issue of the New England Journal of Medicine.

Computer-Aided Detection (CAD) that uses software designed to improve how radiologists interpret mammograms may instead make readings less accurate, according to new research.

Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) scans of women who were diagnosed with cancer in one breast detected over 90 percent of cancers in the other breast that were missed by mammography and clinical breast exam at initial diagnosis, according to a new study.

Researchers report that a variation in a portion of DNA strongly predicts prostate cancer risk and that this common variation may be responsible for up to 20 percent of prostate cancer cases in white men in the United States.

Rapamycin, an FDA-approved drug normally used to help prevent the body from rejecting organ and bone marrow transplants and also used to coat cardiac stents, was highly effective in preventing the development of tobacco-related lung tumors in mice.

The following is the exerpt from the White House press briefing that delt primarily with the news of White House Press Secretary Snow's reoccurance of cancer.

Prostate cancer mortality is twice as high in African American men compared with white men, a fact often attributed to poor education, lack of awareness of the threat, and undiscovered genetic factors.

An Italian clinical trial has shown that patients with newly diagnosed multiple myeloma who received a transplant of their own stem cells and a second stem cell transplant from an “HLA-matched” sibling had superior survival outcomes compared to patients who received two autologous stem cell transplants.

Researchers have cataloged the mutations in genes that produce protein kinases, which are enzymes that regulate other proteins and play a role in some cancers.

Researchers have created a new imaging compound that fluoresces only when processed by cancer cells. Use of this compound allowed scientists to visualize 92 percent of the very small tumors in mice with ovarian cancer.

John and Elizabeth Edwards announced Thursday that Elizabeth Edwards' breast cancer had returned, this time spreading -- but perhaps remaining localized to -- a rib on her right side. Her doctor, Dr. Lisa Carey, described the tumor as Stage IV metastatic disease.

A gene that helps control the growth of stem cells during brain development also plays a role in regulating the growth of malignant glioma, a deadly brain cancer, according to a new study.

While smoking remains the predominant cause of lung cancer, a new study reveals that incidence rates of lung cancer among people who have never smoked (never smokers) are higher in women than in men.

Results from two randomized clinical trials, published online ahead of print in Cancer, indicate that women taking tamoxifen after surgery for breast cancer who switch to an aromatase inhibitor after 2 or 3 years have improved survival compared with women who continue tamoxifen for an additional 2 or 3 years.

Screening rates for colorectal cancer in the United States lag far behind those for breast and cervical cancer, despite research showing that the high mortality rates could be lowered significantly by detecting colorectal cancer at an early stage when it is more treatable.

In addition to periodontal problems and cardiovascular disease, smokeless tobacco has been most closely associated with increased risks of oral and pancreatic cancer, so any increase in its use is concerning. That concern is compounded by the results of a new study demonstrating that ST use is strongly associated with smoking initiation.

A large-scale analysis of data on breast cancer risk has concluded that a common variation in the gene caspase-8 (CASP8) is associated with a somewhat lower risk of the disease.

A new study has identified a region of the brain that may play an important role in the conscious urge to smoke and provide a potential target for new antismoking therapies.

Mammography rates in women aged 40 and over have declined from 76.4 percent in 2000 to 74.6 percent in 2005, a statistically significant decrease.

Adult patients with previously untreated acute promyelocytic leukemia (APL) who had standard chemotherapy to induce remission of their disease, and then received the chemotherapy drug arsenic trioxide to maintain remission, had a significantly better event-free survival

Indoor emissions from household combustion of coal are carcinogenic in the Group 1 category to humans, and are associated primarily with an increased risk of lung cancer.

Whether a hospital has onsite radiation services may influence its use in the treatment of pancreatic cancer, according to a new study.