Celebrating 50 Years of Sustained Focus on Cancer

This year we celebrate a milestone in cancer – the 50th anniversary of the National Cancer Act of 1971. An armada of resources, all trained on a single target, was set into motion in 1971.

The Act created the nation’s clinical trials network. Those trials expanded treatments for cancer, reduced the toxicity of treatments and continues to do so every day. As treatments have evolved so have complementary, integrated supportive services to holistically meet the needs of patients and caregivers. The stigma associated with cancer has shrunk drastically over the past 50 years; people openly talk about the disease where they used to only whisper about it. Patient, family and caregiver education has become a priority rather than an afterthought. Researchers in laboratories around the globe willingly share data and discoveries because a breakthrough in one lab might shatter a seemingly insurmountable barrier in another.

Oncologist, Lidia Schapira, MD, FASCO, sums up the past 50 years perfectly, “Yesterday’s aspirations and dreams are today’s standard of care.” Patients, providers, caregivers and researchers each have a unique role in reducing the burden of cancer. P+P will continue to amplify these voices in support of personalized treatment plans, real-time decision making by doctors and unfiltered access to the medical innovation that continues to burst forth from the National Cancer Act.