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Date: Tuesday, March 25, 1997 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact: National Institutes of Health, NCI Press Office (301)496-6641
More than any other disease, Americans fear cancer, a term that
encompasses more than 100 different diseases. This year, nearly
1.4 million people in the United States will be diagnosed with
cancer, and about 560,000 people are expected to die of it --
more than 1,500 people a day. One of every four deaths in the
United States is from cancer.
In 1971, the United States enacted the National Cancer Act. Twentyfive
years later, in November 1996, the National Cancer Institute (NCI)
reported that the nation'sinvestment in research is paying off. The cancer death rate in
the United States has peaked and, for the first time, begun to
fall. This progress is due to improvements in prevention, early
detection and diagnosis, and treatment.
More than 7 million Americans are cancer survivors today --
some may be considered cured, others continue to live with cancer.
Impact of Research on Cancer
Since 1971, scientists have learned that all cancers arise as
the result of changes in genes, which control cell growth and
behavior.
Cancer survivors are alive today because 25 years of research
have given doctors better information and tools to deal with cancer.
This has resulted not only in better survival, but also in an
improved quality of life.
Because of the more widespread use of early detection methods,
many of the most common cancers, such as breast and colon tumors,
are being diagnosed at earlier stages, when chances for successful
treatment are greater. A more enlightened use of chemotherapy
combined with improved surgical and radiation treatments for several
cancers is also improving outcome.
America's youth have
received the most benefit from this country's
investment in cancer research. Scientists have been instrumental
in developing better treatments for childhood cancer. Just a couple
of decades ago, survival of many childhood cancers was measured
in weeks or months. The vast majority of children with cancer
now can be cured and grow up to be healthy adults, having children
of their own. Today, one of every 1,000 people reaching adulthood
is a cured survivor of childhood cancer.
Cancer research has also made dramatic improvements in adult cancer.
Mortality for testicular cancer, for example, has declined 66
percent since 1973. Hodgkin's
disease, which can strike young adults, was once one of the most
feared cancers. Today, the majority of Hodgkin's
disease patients can be successfully treated, and most are cured.
Mortality is falling for cancers of the colon and rectum, breast,
and prostate and gynecologic cancers in women and lung cancer
in men.
Much work remains to be done. Death rates for some cancers, notably
lung cancer in women and lymphatic cancers in both men and women,
continue to rise. And the burden of cancer is not shared equally
in our society. For example, African Americans have a 30 percent
higher cancer death rate than Caucasians.
Most importantly, research has identified some of the genes that
enable cancer's growth
and other genes that prevent the growth of cancer cells. This
crucial information offers scientists unparalleled opportunities
to find new ways to prevent, diagnose, and treat cancer.
Looking Forward to the 21st century
Research of the 20th century is laying a solid foundation for
the 21st. We can look forward to:
New Technologies. The Cancer Genome Anatomy Project. NCI
is launching an initiative that will allow scientists to understand
intimately the nature of each person's
cancer. The Cancer Genome Anatomy Project is designed to define
the particular patterns of genetic changes determining the behavior
of a particular cancer in an individual -- how fast it grows, whether it will spread, and whether it will
respond to treatment. The definition of the nature of a particular
cancer could lead to revolutionary approaches to early detection,
more accurate diagnosis, and more successful treatment. This knowledge
will also reveal more about the causes of cancer, leading to prevention
strategies that address identified risks and take advantage of
knowledge about how a cancer develops over a period of years.
Better Treatments. NCI has undertaken two major initiatives
to improve cancer treatments:
Most of today's treatments
have a major limitation B
the damage they cause to healthy cells. The goal for new drug
development is to target only a patient's
cancer cells, thereby reducing side effects and improving quality
of life.
Greater Access to the Benefits of Research. Cancer patients
want quick and easy access to the best, newest treatments available.
As a result, NCI is working to give patients in managed care systems
that kind of access. The initiative began with an agreement between
NCI and the Department of Defense (DoD) under which beneficiaries
of DoD's health program
can enroll in cancer treatment studies when that is the appropriate
treatment choice. Another agreement, with the Department of Veterans
Affairs (VA), will strengthen the information, prevention, and
treatment choices for eligible patients. NCI is working to bring
private care systems under the initiative and help bring the discoveries
of medical research to all.
Greater Access to Information About Cancer. PDQ Database.
Since passage of the National Cancer Act, NCI has created
PDQ, a large, comprehensive database of uptodate descriptions
of cancer treatments for patients, the public, physicians, and
researchers. Also contained in PDQ is information about cancer
studies in which patients can enroll, which is now available through
the World Wide Web (cancernet.nci.nih.gov). And in a new
initiative, NCI, in cooperation with patient groups, is preparing
laylanguage descriptions of the PDQ cancer studies that
are enrolling patients. These descriptions will also be accessible
through the World Wide Web.
Cancer Information Service (CIS). The CIS provides a nationwide
telephone service for cancer patients and their families, the
public, and health care professionals. The CIS disseminates information
on cancer and provides access to PDQ. The tollfree number
is 18004CANCER (18004226237);
services are provided in English and Spanish. People with TTY
equipment may call 18003328615.
Society Working Together. NCI has spearheaded partnerships
within all segments of our society to address the cancer problem
and make research discoveries available to everyone. People from
all sectors of society -- teachers, businessmen, civil servants, scientists, doctors, nurses,
patients, and patient advocates --
are working to confront issues like tobacco control, cancer care,
environmental safety regulations, and many other societal issues.
They will be brought together under a new initiative proposed
and supported by NCI and carried out by the National Academy of
Sciences. This initiative, known as the National Cancer Policy
Board, will provide a forum where representatives from the diverse
groups participating in the nation's
cancer effort can debate policy and make recommendations for cancer
policy affecting the nation. This Board will go beyond research
and look at societal issues, such as smoking control and the conduct
of cancer treatment studies in managed care settings.
Additional Reading
The Nation's Investment
in Cancer Research: A Budget Proposal for Fiscal Years 1997/98. Prepared by the director,
National Cancer Institute, National Institutes of Health, May
1996.
Scientific American, Special Issue: What You Need to Know About
Cancer, September 1996.
Statistics are from the National Cancer Institute's
Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) database (January
1997) and from the American Cancer Society's
Cancer Facts and Figures: 1997,
which contains estimates based on SEER data.
Cancer Information Service
The Cancer Information Service (CIS), a national information and education network, is a free public service of the National Cancer Institute (NCI), the federal government's primary agency for cancer research. The CIS meets the information needs of patients, the public, and health professionals. Specially trained staff provide the latest scientific information in understandable language. CIS staff answer questions in English and Spanish and distribute NCI materials.
Toll-free phone number: 1--800-4-CANCER (1-800-422-6237)
TTY: 1-800-332-8615
CancerFax7
For NCI information by fax, dial 301-402-5874 from the telephone on a fax machine and listen to recorded instructions.
CancerNetJ
For NCI information by computer:
CancerNet Mail Service (via E-mail)
To obtain a contents list, send E-mail to cancernet@icicc.nci.nih.gov with the word "help" in the body of the message.
Internet
CancerNet is also accessible via the Internet through the World Wide Web (cancernet.nci.nih.gov) and Gopher (gopher://gopher.nih.gov) servers.