In Philadelphia, a large church partnered with local doctors and used its drive-thru flu shot program to also pass out stool tests for colon cancer screening. “That’s not to say screening is not important, but many people think that cancer screening saves more lives than it actually does,” Brawley said. AdResearchers from Massachusetts General and Brigham and Women’s Hospital analyzed their screening tests for lung, cervical, colon, prostate and breast cancer. GETTING CREATIVEWhen 43-year-old actor Chadwick Boseman died of colon cancer last summer, Miles feared for the 12,000 members of his Philadelphia church. Church members had to watch a video about colon cancer in advance and register to ensure they qualified for screening.

AdThis is the first time the CDC has reported on life expectancy from early, partial records; more death certificates from that period may yet come in. Life expectancy is how long a baby born today can expect to live, on average. Black people now lag white people by six years in life expectancy, reversing a trend that had been bringing their numbers closer since 1993. Between 2019 and the first half of 2020, life expectancy decreased 2.7 years for Black people, to 72. Overall, the drop in life expectancy is more evidence of “our mishandling of the pandemic,” Brawley said.

A U.S. health panel wants to widen the number of Americans offered yearly scans for lung cancer by opening the screening to less-heavy smokers. Lung cancer is the nation's top cancer killer, causing more than 135,000 deaths each year. Usually, lung cancer is diagnosed too late for a good chance at survival. Lung cancer screening is complicated -- not every hospital is equipped to offer it -- and few of those eligible today receive it, just 6% according to one study the task force cited. In contrast, 60% to 80% of those eligible for breast, colon or cervical cancer screening get checked.