Forty years ago this month, President Nixon signed the landmark National Cancer Act and launched what came to be known as the war on cancer. The signing of the act signified that Congress and the President were making cancer a national priority. I was excited to find this video of the signing on YouTube:
Today, the Senate honored that historic moment by introducing a resolution commemorating the anniversary. The resolution, co-sponsored by Sens. John Kerry (D-MA), Jerry Moran (R-KS) and Bob Casey (D-PA), celebrates the fact that people with cancer stand a far better chance of surviving the disease today than they did 40 years ago. Much of the progress we've made over the past 40 years is thanks to the law's creation of a National Cancer Program conducted through the National Cancer Institute (NCI). Today, there are 66 NCI-designated cancer centers in 33 states, and NCI is the world's largest funder of cancer research. Of course, there is still so much work to be done. With 1 in 2 men and 1 in 3 women projected to be diagnosed with cancer in their lifetime, it is critical that the elected officials make it a national priority to eliminate death and suffering from this disease. This anniversary is the perfect time to reinvigorate the war against cancer and commit to sustain federal investments in cancer research, prevention and early detection programs and access to care.
Even as Breast Cancer Awareness Month comes to a close, ACS CAN will keep working year-round, across the country and with both state and federal lawmakers, to advance the public policies we know will reduce the burden of breast cancer.