World Cancer Day 2025: 7 Screening Recommendations from the USPSTF

World Cancer Day, observed annually on February 4 since its first celebration in 2000, is led by the Union for International Cancer Control who says the objective of the international campaign is to raise awareness about cancer, encourage its prevention, and mobilize action to address the global cancer epidemic.

Every visit to a primary care office offers a chance to promote cancer prevention by asking about relevant annual screenings, providing referrals as necessary for the specific tests, offering information, answering questions, and providing often needed guidance.

The United States Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) provides screening recommendations across cancer types as evidence-based references for primary care clinicians. The USPSTF guidance can be considered a type of "grass roots" cancer prevention effort, spelling out criteria for screening, age for initiation, timing and intervals, and the balance of benefits and harms of the specific tests.

In support of World Cancer Day 2025, Patient Care culled USPSTF recommendations for 7 of the most common cancers that adults aged 21 years and older may be eligible to screen for and created the short slide show above, an at-a-glance update and reminder for primary care. Links are provided to each full USPSTF statement for additional details.