Could New Title X Funding Conditions Affect Cancer Screening in America?

By Aren Karapetyan, MD Sep 3, 2026

Fact checked by Toma Oganezova, MD

Medically reviewed by Amalya Sargsyan, MD

Officials from 23 US states have sued the Trump administration over new conditions attached to Title X, a federal program that supports family planning and preventive health services for low income and uninsured patients.

The lawsuit was filed in federal court in Maryland on August 27. The states argue that the conditions could prevent qualified health care providers from receiving federal funding if they do not align their programs with the administration’s policy priorities. Created in 1970, Title X distributes about $286 million in grants annually. The program supports contraception, pregnancy counseling, testing for sexually transmitted infections and other preventive services. Federal law prohibits Title X funds from being used to pay for abortion.

Title X clinics may also provide breast and cervical cancer screening, HPV vaccination and referrals for further medical assessment. For some patients, these clinics are their only continuing source of health care.

The new funding requirements ask applicants to demonstrate alignment with several administration priorities. According to the lawsuit, these include eliminating diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives, recognizing male and female as the only two sexes, and encouraging abstinence and natural family planning.

The states claim that the conditions conflict with the law governing Title X and were introduced without the required public rulemaking process. The court has not yet ruled on those claims.
The Department of Health and Human Services did not immediately respond to a Reuters request for comment following the filing.

The possible effect on cancer screening remains uncertain. The new conditions do not directly remove breast or cervical cancer services from Title X. However, the states argue that clinics could lose funding or leave the program, potentially reducing access to the full range of services they provide.

In New York, Title X funding supports 165 clinics that have served more than 250,000 patients, most of them with low incomes, according to the state attorney general’s office.

The states are asking the court to block the conditions before they are enforced through the grant process. Until the court rules and funding decisions are made, any effect on cancer screening will remain a potential risk rather than an established outcome.

Written by Evelina Kachaturova, MD

Author

Aren Karapetyan

Aren Karapetyan is a practicing radiation oncologist at Erebuni Radiotherapy Center and an active media professional serving as a content creator and editor-in-chief for OncoDaily RT. His clinical work focuses on specialized radiotherapy for head and neck as well as genitourinary cancers also he evaluates new research as a peer reviewer.

Fact checked by Toma Oganezova MD Toma Oganezova is a medical oncologist, Editor-in-Chief of OncoDaily IO, and Junior Researcher at the Immune Oncology Research Institute (IMMONC). She is dedicated to advancing cancer immunotherapy through scientific communication, clinical research, and medical education. Toma Oganezova is a medical oncologist with a strong interest in immuno-oncology, translational research, and evidence-based cancer care. As Editor-in-Chief of OncoDaily IO, she leads editorial strategy and develops educational content highlighting the latest advances in cancer immunotherapy, biomarkers, clinical trials, and precision oncology. She is also a Junior Researcher at the Immune Oncology Research Institute (IMMONC), where she contributes to immuno-oncology research and authors scientific articles exploring emerging therapies, novel biomarkers, and translational discoveries in cancer immunotherapy. Her primary areas of interest include immune checkpoint inhibitors, cancer vaccines, tumor microenvironment biology, mechanisms of immune resistance, predictive biomarkers, and innovative combination immunotherapies. She closely follows major international oncology conferences and practice-changing clinical trials, translating complex scientific evidence into clear, evidence-based educational content for clinicians and researchers. Through collaborations with oncologists, scientists, and researchers worldwide, Toma strives to bridge the gap between research and clinical practice by making cutting-edge oncology research accessible to the global medical community. She believes that continuous learning, scientific collaboration, and high-quality medical education are essential to advancing cancer care and improving patient outcomes.

Medically reviewed by Amalya Sargsyan MD Amalya Sargsyan, MD, MSc, is a medical oncologist in Yerevan, Armenia, and Vice President of Research & Intelligence at OncoDaily. She heads the Sarcoma Service at D'Clinic, treats adult solid tumors at the Adult Solid Tumors and Chemotherapy Clinic of the Yeolyan Hematology and Oncology Center, and leads the Adult Solid Tumor Team at the Immune Oncology Research Institute. Her clinical practice covers sarcoma, gastrointestinal cancers, and adolescent and young adult (AYA) oncology. She earned her MD and completed medical oncology residency at Yerevan State Medical University, then an MSc in Precision Medicine in Clinical Practice at the University of Cyprus. Her sarcoma training began at the Bank of Cyprus Oncology Centre and continued through a three-month fellowship at the Sarcoma Unit of Fondazione IRCCS Istituto Nazionale dei Tumori in Milan, organized with the European School of Oncology, followed by observerships at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center and the sarcoma program at Stanford Medicine. She trained in gastrointestinal oncology under the mentorship of Yelena Janjigian at MSK, as a recipient of the ASCO Conquer Cancer International Development and Education Award and Memorial Sloan Kettering GI Oncology International Training Award. Her research addresses access and equity in cancer care in low- and middle-income countries. She is principal investigator of the IMMONKG study, a multinational retrospective cohort examining alternative immune checkpoint inhibitor dosing strategies across LMICs, and first author of the JCO Global Oncology analysis of immunotherapy access in Armenia's out-of-pocket health system (Sargsyan et al., 2025). She has authored and contributed to peer-reviewed publications in journals including Nature Reviews Clinical Oncology, JCO Global Oncology, The Lancet Oncology, and Expert Review of Gastroenterology & Hepatology. She has received ESMO Leadership and Career Development Award in 2026, the ESMO Merit Award twice and the ASCO Conquer Cancer International Development and Education Award. At OncoDaily she directs the Research & Intelligence unit, overseeing global oncology content strategy, editorial operations across six disease verticals, and more than 50 scientific events a year - including the How I Treat virtual summit series. She is an Adjunct Assistant Professor at Yerevan State Medical University, founder of the Young Oncology Group of Armenia, and founder of the ASCO Oncology Student Interest Group at Yeolyan.