Director's Message

Both wonder and heartache. The wonder comes both from our success in treating certain tumors and from our astonishing new knowledge of how cancer cells work. These advances have been heartening, and they herald great promise for the future. The heartache comes from what we haven't been able to do. Our understanding of cancer's complexities remains incomplete, frustrating our fervent desire to eradicate this disease once and for all. Since the passage of the National Cancer Institute Act of 1937 that established the National Cancer Institute and during 25 years of tireless and exacting science since passage of the National Cancer Act in 1971, we have made great strides against cancer, but there is still much to learn, much to do.

OVER 40 PERCENT OF US WILL DEVELOP CANCER; OVER 20 PERCENT OF US WILL DIE FROM CANCER. WITHIN FIVE YEARS CANCER WILL BE THE LEADING CAUSE OF DEATH IN THE UNITED STATES, RESPONSIBLE FOR OVER 6 MILLION YEARS OF LIFE PREMATURELY LOST EACH YEAR AND AN ANNUAL COST TO THE ECONOMY OF OVER $100 BILLION.

How do we continue to move forward? Part of the answer is to sustain proven research programs that have brought us to this juncture. We have built a successful discovery process, attracted some of the best scientific minds to the cancer problem, and initiated ground-breaking programs that already have yielded critical knowledge, improved patient care, and saved lives. We must continue to support these endeavors, ensuring that they remain vital and productive. At the same time, we must recognize and exploit any extraordinary opportunity for further progress earned through our national investment and our diligence.

The Congress has requested that the Director of the National Cancer Institute (NCI) prepare a budget estimate for cancer research. This document presents that estimate for Fiscal Years 1997/1998. The following pages describe the resources needed to sustain current successful efforts. In addition, we identify five areas of unprecedented cancer research opportunity which, if exploited, will greatly increase our capacity to reduce suffering due to cancer. We propose investment opportunities in understanding the genetic basis of cancer, in the development of early detection techniques, and in the accurate description of the behavior of cancer in each affected individual--and to determine the implications of these advances for prevention, detection, diagnosis, and treatment. This document describes these opportunities, the NCI's goals and plan for meeting the goals in each area, the additional investment required to turn this promise into progress, and the greater cost to the Nation if we do not act.

This budget represents an investment in research, but more importantly an investment to improve the Nation's health. It is an investment in hope--the hope that springs from the discovery of the tools and knowledge that we must have to reduce the awful burden of cancer.

Richard Klausner
Director, National Cancer Institute

CONTENTS PAGE...