What Risk, Prevention, and Screening Information Does cancer.org Provide?

cancer.org, the American Cancer Society (ACS) website, organizes risk, prevention, and screening content into four main areas: risk factors (genetics, tobacco, HPV, diet and physical activity, sun safety), a cancer risk assessment tool, screening information covering why screening matters and which tests are used, and prevention resources such as free smoking cessation support. It is a general education resource for anyone who wants to understand their cancer risk, prepare questions for a doctor, or find practical prevention support — not a substitute for individual medical advice.

Risk Factors: What the Site Covers

The "Risk & Prevention" section of the site's main navigation breaks risk education into distinct topics, each with its own page:

This structure lets you go directly to the factor most relevant to you rather than reading a single general article. For example, someone with a strong family history of cancer can start with the Genetics page, while someone concerned about skin cancer can go straight to Sun Safety.

The Cancer Risk Assessment Tool

The site includes a "Cancer Risk Assessment" entry in the same section. Its practical use is as a starting point: it helps you think through which risk factors may apply to you and what to discuss with a health professional. It is not a diagnostic test, and the site does not present it as one. Use it when you want structure for a conversation with your doctor, not as a substitute for screening or clinical evaluation.

Screening: Why It Matters and What's Available

Screening content sits alongside diagnosis and staging information in the site's "All About Cancer" navigation. The site frames screening around early detection — finding cancer before symptoms appear — and covers the common screening categories tied to the cancer types it profiles, including breast, colon and rectal, lung, prostate, and skin cancer. Each cancer-type page connects to its relevant screening information, so you can move from "what is this cancer" to "how is it detected" in one place.

A practical way to use this: identify the cancer type relevant to your age, sex, or family history, open that cancer type's page, and read the screening section before your next appointment. Bring specific questions — which test, at what age, how often — to your doctor, since recommendations depend on individual factors the website cannot assess.

Prevention Resources: Smoking Cessation and Healthy Lifestyle

Beyond informational pages, the site offers a concrete prevention program: ACS CARES™ Free Smoking Cessation Support, listed under Patient Programs. This is a direct resource for the single largest modifiable cancer risk factor. The site also provides guidance on diet, physical activity, and sun safety within the Risk & Prevention section.

If your goal is to quit smoking, the cessation support program is the most actionable item on the site. If your goal is general lifestyle prevention, the Diet & Physical Activity and Sun Safety pages give the baseline guidance.

Other Entry Points Worth Knowing

• 24/7 Cancer Helpline: 1-800-227-2345 — listed prominently on the site for questions, including prevention and screening concerns.
• Resource Search — helps locate programs and services beyond what's in the main navigation.
• Multilingual access — the site offers content in Spanish and a dozen other languages via a language selector, useful if English is not your first language.

How to Decide Where to Start

• You have a family history or genetic concern → start with Genetics, then the Cancer Risk Assessment tool.
• You want to reduce lifestyle-related risk → Diet & Physical Activity, Sun Safety, and the free smoking cessation program.
• You're due for a screening or unsure what applies to you → the relevant cancer-type page, then discuss specifics with your doctor.
• You need to talk to someone → the 24/7 helpline at 1-800-227-2345.

The site is strongest as a structured starting point and a connector to real services (helpline, cessation support). It does not replace personalized screening decisions, which depend on your medical history and should be made with a clinician.