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Worried about cancer?
You have the power to help yourself stay healthier--because the sooner a cancer is caught, the better the outcome.

A major cause of illness and death in the U.S., cancer kills about half a million people in the U.S. each year. Yet many of these deaths--by some estimates, more than one-third of them--could be avoided through early detection of the cancers, before symptoms develop.

When cancers are diagnosed while they are still localized (before they have had a chance to spread) and treated promptly, cure rates are high. Many screening techniques and technologies are available to help identify early cancers in people who have no symptoms.

Click on the links below for some helpful tips about how screening can minimize your risk of becoming seriously ill with breast, colorectal, prostate, or skin cancer. Explore our other online offerings about cancer, including information about Duke Raleigh Hospital's state-of-the-art therapies for many types of cancer. We invite you to feel free to call us with any questions, and to check our site often as we continue to expand our educational and treatment resources to help you and your family stay cancer-free.

Additional Resources

Learn more about the following topics with information from our most recent community programs:

IMPORTANT NOTE: The information presented on this Web site is for educational purposes only and is not meant to substitute for professional medical services or guidance. Please direct all medical and health questions about your cancer risk factors, as well as what types of cancer screening exams you should have at what age and how often, to your health care professional. If you have been told or suspect that you are at high risk for cancer, ask you health care provider what steps you should take to reduce your risk.