AACR Joins U.S. Senators in Recognizing 40th Anniversary of the National Cancer Act

PHILADELPHIA — The American Association for Cancer Research applauds U.S. Senators Sherrod Brown (D-Ohio), Jerry Moran (R-Kan.) and John Kerry (D-Mass.) for sponsoring a Congressional resolution that reaffirms the national commitment to understanding and controlling cancer.

“We are extremely excited to see such distinguished, bipartisan support behind this resolution,” said Margaret Foti, Ph.D., M.D. (h.c.), chief executive officer of the AACR. “Senators Brown, Moran and Kerry are shining the light on the urgent need to accelerate and strengthen the nation’s efforts against the more than 200 diseases we know as cancer.”

The resolution commemorates the 40th anniversary of the signing of the National Cancer Act of 1971, which set the nation on a concerted course to conquer cancer through investment in cancer research and related biomedical science. The resolution is a tribute to the more than 12 million cancer survivors who are alive today because of our country’s commitment to accelerate progress in preventing, detecting, diagnosing, and treating cancer.

“Today, more than any time in history, cancer researchers are maximizing the impact of the fundamental discoveries made over the past 40 years and are translating them into improved patient care,” said AACR President Judy Garber, M.D., M.P.H. “Our ability to maintain this momentum depends upon a strong commitment by Congress to adequately fund the National Cancer Institute (NCI) and its parent agency, the National Institutes of Health (NIH).

The resolution also complements a landmark cancer progress report recently released by the AACR that illustrates the astounding return on investment in cancer research and biomedical science supported through the NIH and the NCI, and provides a summary of the scientific breakthroughs that promise to revolutionize the prevention, detection and treatment of cancer.

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The mission of the American Association for Cancer Research is to prevent and cure cancer. Founded in 1907, the AACR is the world’s oldest and largest professional organization dedicated to advancing cancer research. The membership includes 33,000 laboratory, translational and clinical researchers; health care professionals; and cancer survivors and advocates in the United States and more than 90 other countries. The AACR marshals the full spectrum of expertise from the cancer community to accelerate progress in the prevention, diagnosis and treatment of cancer through high-quality scientific and educational programs. It funds innovative, meritorious research grants, research fellowships and career development awards to young investigators, and it also funds cutting-edge research projects conducted by senior researchers. The AACR has numerous fruitful collaborations with organizations and foundations in the U.S. and abroad, and functions as the Scientific Partner of Stand Up To Cancer, a charitable initiative that supports groundbreaking research aimed at getting new cancer treatments to patients in an accelerated time frame. The AACR Annual Meeting attracts more than 17,000 participants who share the latest discoveries and developments in the field. Special Conferences throughout the year present novel data across a wide variety of topics in cancer research, treatment and patient care, and Educational Workshops are held for the training of young cancer investigators. The AACR publishes seven major peer-reviewed journals: Cancer Discovery; Cancer Research; Clinical Cancer Research; Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers & Prevention; Molecular Cancer Therapeutics; Molecular Cancer Research; and Cancer Prevention Research. In 2010, AACR journals received 20 percent of the total number of citations given to oncology journals. The AACR also publishes Cancer Today, a magazine for cancer patients, survivors and their caregivers, which provides practical knowledge and new hope for cancer survivors. A major goal of the AACR is to educate the general public and policymakers about the value of cancer research in improving public health, the vital importance of increases in sustained funding for cancer research and biomedical science, and the need for national policies that foster innovation and the acceleration of progress against the 200 diseases we call cancer.

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