Web Portal for Cancer Advocates Launched Last week, NCI launched a new portal on Cancer.gov intended for the advocacy community. The portal, Science Serving People, offers information on the human and economic burden of cancer; NCI's budget and research priorities; NCI's collaborations with the public and private sectors; and the return on investment the institute provides the nation. Users can also review cancer-related legislation and Congressional testimony. NCI's Office of Advocacy Relations led the portal's production by listening to the concerns of advisory boards and cancer advocates seeking ways to stay connected to NCI. To view the portal, click this tile:

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) sent warning letters on June 17 to 23 U.S. companies and 2 foreign individuals that have been marketing a variety of fraudulent cancer "cures" on the Internet. The agency also warns consumers against purchasing the bogus cancer treatments.

The Internet has provided a mechanism for bogus cancer cures to flourish, according to an FDA press release. Although the products being sold online are not regulated by the FDA, the agency has authority to issue the warnings because the product marketers claim their products "cure, treat, mitigate, or prevent disease" without having undergone testing for safety and effectiveness. Therefore, the agency considers them unapproved new drugs marketed in violation of the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetics Act.

"These warning letters are an important step to ensure that consumers do not become the victim of false 'cures' that may cause greater harm to their health," said FDA Associate Commissioner for Regulatory Affairs Margaret Glavin.

More information about the FDA warnings, including a list of the 125 fake cures consumers should avoid, can be found on the FDA Web site.