Latest News On Cancer

Latest KFF Health News Stories

Listen: Some Scientists Speak Out on Deep Cuts to National Cancer Institute, While Others Flee

KFF Health News Original

The U.S. has made enormous progress reducing cancer mortality since the 1990s, partly due to significant investment in research at the National Cancer Institute. But scientists say the Trump administration has been hollowing out the agency in its push to dramatically shrink the federal government.

Amid PFAS Fallout, a Maine Doctor Navigates Medical Risks With Her Patients

KFF Health News Original

A doctor doing environmental health research in rural Maine is working to establish the best practices to treat patients exposed to “forever chemicals,” potentially leading the way for practitioners across the nation.

Watch: She’s at High Risk of Breast Cancer. She Moved, and Her Screening Costs Soared.

KFF Health News Original

This installment of InvestigateTV and KFF Health News’ “Costly Care” series explores how the type of medical facility where a patient seeks care can affect the cost of that care — particularly when that facility is a hospital.

World’s Premier Cancer Institute Faces Crippling Cuts and Chaos

KFF Health News Original

After spearheading a 34% cut in cancer mortality, the National Cancer Institute at the NIH is bleeding resources and staff and could see its budget cut by nearly 40%.

‘We Dissent’: NIH Workers Protest Trump Policies That ‘Harm the Health of Americans’

KFF Health News Original

A letter signed by more than 300 National Institutes of Health workers — some still working, others who were fired this year — is an extraordinary public rebuke of actions taken under Director Jay Bhattacharya and health secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.

Two Patients Faced Chemo. The One Who Survived Demanded a Test To See if It Was Safe.

KFF Health News Original

Worried that President Donald Trump’s FDA might not act, a panel of cancer experts recommended that doctors consider testing before dosing patients with a commonly used but sometimes deadly cancer drug. It came too late for many patients.

This Bill Aims To Help Firefighters With Cancer. Getting It Passed Is Just the Beginning.

KFF Health News Original

Amid the Los Angeles wildfires, California’s U.S. senators cosponsored legislation that would provide support to first responders who develop or die from service-related cancers. But those involved with similar efforts say the road to implementation is rough and paved with long waits, restrictive eligibility requirements, and funding issues.

Scientists Say NIH Officials Told Them To Scrub mRNA References on Grants

KFF Health News Original

Two senior scientists say National Institutes of Health officials advised them to remove references to mRNA vaccines in grant applications, and they fear the Trump administration will abandon a promising field of medical research.

Some CT Scans Deliver Too Much Radiation, Researchers Say. Regulators Want To Know More.

KFF Health News Original

Unnecessarily high radiation doses in scans have been linked to cancers. Under new federal rules, doctors and imaging centers have to more closely track and report the doses of radiation that patients receive.

Future of Cancer Coverage for Women Federal Firefighters Uncertain Under Trump

KFF Health News Original

In the waning days of the Biden administration, the Labor Department added ovarian, uterine, cervical, and breast cancer coverage for wildland firefighters. It’s unclear whether the new protections will stick under Trump.

KFF Health News' 'What the Health?': New Year, New Congress, New Health Agenda

Podcast

Health is unlikely to be a top priority for the new GOP-led 119th Congress and President-elect Donald Trump. But it’s likely to play a key supporting role, with an abortion bill already scheduled for debate in the Senate. Meanwhile, it’s unclear when and how the new Congress will deal with the bipartisan bills jettisoned from the previous Congress’ year-end omnibus measure — including a major deal to rein in the power of pharmacy benefit managers. In this “catch up on all the news you missed” episode, Alice Miranda Ollstein of Politico, Shefali Luthra of The 19th, and Lauren Weber of The Washington Post join KFF Health News’ Julie Rovner to discuss these stories and more.

Helene and CVS Land Double Whammy for 25,000 Patients Who Survive on IV Nutrition

KFF Health News Original

A Massachusetts woman ended up stranded in the hospital because CVS stopped providing the IV nutrition she needs to survive at home. Without it, she’d starve.

Breast Cancer Rises Among Asian American and Pacific Islander Women

KFF Health News Original

Asian American and Pacific Islander women once had a relatively low rate of breast cancer diagnoses. Now, researchers are scrambling to understand why it’s rising at a faster pace than those of many other racial and ethnic groups.

Traveling To Die: The Latest Form of Medical Tourism

KFF Health News Original

Medical aid in death is legal in 10 states and the District of Columbia. But only Oregon and Vermont explicitly allow out-of-state people who are terminally ill to die with assistance there. So far, at least 49 people have made the trek while state legislation stalls elsewhere.

Small-Town Patients Face Big Hurdles as Rural Hospitals Cut Cancer Care

KFF Health News Original

For rural patients, getting cancer treatment close to home has always been difficult. And now chemotherapy deserts are expanding across the United States as hospitals winnow services to save money, creating financial and logistical hurdles for people seeking lifesaving care.