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Our highly trained specialists are available 24/7 via phone and on weekdays can assist through video calls and online chat. We connect patients, caregivers, and family members with essential services and resources at every step of their cancer journey. Ask us how you can get involved and support the fight against cancer. Some of the topics we can assist with include:
- Referrals to patient-related programs or resources
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- Cancer Information
For medical questions, we encourage you to review our information with your doctor.
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- Common Questions About Causes of Cancer
- Is Cancer Contagious?
- Lifetime Risk of Developing or Dying From Cancer
- How to Interpret News About Cancer Causes
- Determining if Something Is a Carcinogen
- Known and Probable Human Carcinogens
- Cancer Clusters
- Cancer Warning Labels Based on California's Proposition 65
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- Reasons to Quit Smoking
- Health Benefits of Quitting Smoking Over Time
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- Making a Plan to Quit and Planning Your Quit Day
- Quitting Smoking or Smokeless Tobacco
- Quitting E-cigarettes
- Nicotine Replacement Therapy to Help You Quit Tobacco
- Dealing with the Mental Part of Tobacco Addiction
- Prescription Medicines to Help You Quit Tobacco
- Ways to Quit Tobacco Without Using Medicines
- Staying Tobacco-free After You Quit
- Help for Cravings and Tough Situations While You're Quitting Tobacco
- How to Help Someone Quit Smoking
- Why People Start Smoking and Why It’s Hard to Stop
- Keeping Your Kids Tobacco-free
- Empowered to Quit
- Harmful Chemicals in Tobacco Products
- Is Any Type of Tobacco Product Safe?
American Cancer Society Recommendations for Human Papilloma Virus (HPV) Vaccine Use
Background
There are vaccines that can help protect children and young adults from some HPV infections. These vaccines are used to prevent cancer that can result from an HPV infection. They will not treat or protect against cancer from an existing HPV infection. Each vaccine requires a series of injections (shots). The injections are most often given in the muscle of the upper arm.
American Cancer Society recommendations
- HPV vaccination works best when given to boys and girls between ages 9 and 12.
- Children and young adults ages 13 through 26 years who have not been vaccinated or who have not received all of their shots should get the vaccine as soon as possible. Vaccination of young adults will not prevent as many cancers as vaccination of children and teens.
- The ACS does not recommend HPV vaccination for persons older than 26 years.
The American Cancer Society medical and editorial content team
Our team is made up of doctors and oncology certified nurses with deep knowledge of cancer care as well as journalists, editors, and translators with extensive experience in medical writing.
Along with the American Cancer Society, other sources of information include:
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)
Toll free number: 1-800-CDC-INFO (1-800-232-4636)
TTY: 1-888-232-6348
Website: www.cdc.gov
For information on infectious diseases, vaccines, cancer, and many other health topics
National Cancer Institute
Toll-free number: 1-800-4-CANCER (1-800-422-6237)
TTY: 1-800-332-8615
Website: www.cancer.gov
Has up-to-date information about cancer and cancer-related topics for patients, their families, and the general public
*Inclusion on this list does not imply endorsement by the American Cancer Society.
Saslow D, Andrews KS, Manassaram-Baptiste D, et al. Human papillomavirus vaccination 2020 guideline update: American Cancer Society guideline adaptation. CA Cancer J Clin. 2020; DOI: 10.3322/caac.21616.
Smith RA, Andrews KS, Brooks D, et al. Cancer screening in the United States, 2017: A review of current American Cancer Society Guidelines and Current Issues in Cancer Screening. CA Cancer J Clin. 2017; 67(2):100-121.
Last Revised: July 9, 2020
American Cancer Society medical information is copyrighted material. For reprint requests, please see our Content Usage Policy.
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