American Cancer Society (ACS)
The American Cancer Society (ACS) is a prominent nonprofit organization dedicated to combating cancer through research, education, and advocacy. Established in 1913, initially as the American Society for the Control of Cancer, the ACS has evolved to focus on preventing cancer, alleviating the suffering associated with the disease, and enhancing survival rates. The organization funds significant cancer research and has invested over $5 billion to advance oncology investigations, leading to breakthroughs in screening techniques and treatment methods.
ACS also provides a wealth of educational resources aimed at increasing public awareness about cancer prevention and the importance of early detection. Their efforts include distributing informational materials, conducting workshops for healthcare professionals, and promoting cancer screening through various media campaigns. The organization's Relay for Life fundraising event has notably raised over $6 billion since its inception, demonstrating widespread community support.
In addition to research and education, the ACS actively advocates for healthcare access and policy changes that benefit cancer patients. Their initiatives include partnering with other organizations to improve healthcare access, particularly for marginalized communities. The establishment of the Center for Diversity in Cancer Research Training reflects ACS's commitment to inclusivity in cancer research and advocacy efforts. Overall, the ACS plays a vital role in the ongoing fight against cancer, combining scientific advancement with community support and awareness initiatives.
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American Cancer Society (ACS)
FORMERLY KNOWN AS: American Society for the Control of Cancer
DEFINITION: The American Cancer Society (ACS) is an organization that provides cancer information, aids cancer patients, and collects and contributes funds for cancer research.
History: Several New York City physicians established the American Society for the Control of Cancer (ASCC), the ACS’s predecessor, in 1913. At that time, approximately 75,000 people in the United States died of cancer each year. ASCC leaders strove to educate people, including medical professionals, regarding cancerous conditions and treatments. The ASCC published articles in both mainstream and professional periodicals.
During the mid-1930s, ASCC Women’s Field Army volunteers distributed cancer information directly to people and collected funds for the organization’s work. By 1938, approximately 150,000 people were affiliated with the ASCC. After World War II, the renamed American Cancer Society (ACS) embraced research to control cancer. The ACS introduced its list of seven cancer warnings in 1947.
Services and procedures performed: The ACS emphasizes cancer prevention, mitigating the physical and emotional pain associated with cancer, and survival. The society strives to decrease cancer occurrence and death rates. ACS funds from donors advance cancer research, create educational material, staff the National Cancer Information Center, provide such support services as housing near cancer centers for patients and people accompanying them, and publicize issues relevant to cancer control. The ACS website posts cancer information, and the organization distributes printed and visual media to individuals and health centers. The ACS’s Cancer Survivor Network enables people affected by cancer to communicate. The ACS seeks donors, ranging from individuals to corporations. Fundraisers include the ACS’s Relay for Life. Since 1985, the Relay for Life has raised over $6 billion dollars.
A board of directors oversees national ACS activities, including the distribution of fellowships and grants. Divisions and local units also conduct ACS work. In the mid-2020s, about three million volunteers, representing both medical professionals and people from other walks of life, participated in providing ACS services.
Research: The ACS invests the most private funds for oncology investigations in the United States. ACS leaders support innovative research seeking to identify the causes of cancer and to improve prevention and treatment methods. By the first decades of the twenty-first century, the ACS had invested over $5 billion for researchers to pursue investigations.
ACS-supported achievements created better cancer screening techniques, such as the prostate-specific antigen (PSA) test. The ACS funded research evaluating the use of Pap smears to detect cervical cancer and mammograms to detect breast cancer. Treatment methods also benefited from ACS financial support. Funded by the ACS, Sidney Farber studied the use of aminopterin to accomplish remission of cancer, enabling chemotherapy to become a viable method to treat many cancers. ACS-supported researchers focusing on pediatric oncology developed more effective methods to combat leukemia in children. Investigators used ACS research money to study genes associated with cancer. An ACS-financed study linked cigarettes and cancer. ACS research funds contributed to the creation of anticancer pharmaceuticals.
Education: The ACS creates and distributes educational information to enhance people’s awareness of cancer issues. The society stresses preventing cancers by embracing healthy behaviors. The ACS urges people to seek cancer screening to detect cancers and seek treatment expeditiously to aid survival. The society’s information is incorporated into health lessons taught in many US schools. ACS advertisements in various media promote colorectal and breast cancer screening and stopping smoking.
The ACS publishes three journals for medical professionals, educational guides devoted to specific cancers, and books for patients’ children and caregivers. The society’s cookbook has appeared in several editions as new information regarding nutritional aspects of cancer prevention is determined. The ACS distributes the magazine Cure: Cancer Updates, Research & Education. The society supports workshops and conferences where medical professionals learn about current oncology information and methods.
Advocacy: In 2007, the ACS devoted $15 million to advertisements for print and television commercials, stressing how lack of insurance affects cancer detection and treatment. In the 2020s, the ACS spent over $25 million in advertising, focusing on the increased importance of regular healthcare, especially as rates of some specific cancers began to rise in younger adults. The ACS allied with other health groups and the American Association of Retired Persons (AARP) to promote better healthcare access.
The nonpartisan Cancer Action Network (CAN) complements the ACS by conducting lobbying, which the ACS cannot pursue. CAN’s political work includes securing nonsmoking areas, preparing voter guides, and sponsoring a hotline to contact politicians.
As the twenty-first century progressed, the ACS remained an integral organization in the fight against cancer. In 2023, the ACS successfully lobbied to advance legislation in all fifty states to ensure Medicaid and Medicare reimbursements. In 2022, the fiftieth ACS-backed researcher accepted the Nobel Prize for cancer research. The Center for Diversity in Cancer Research Training was established by the ACS in 2023 to promote inclusion in the cancer research community. Finally, in 2024, the ACS and pharmaceutical company Pfizer launched "Change the Odds: Uniting to Improve Cancer Outcomes" to increase access to cancer prevention, screening, and treatment for marginalized communities.
Bibliography
American Cancer Society. The American Cancer Society’s Healthy Eating Cookbook: A Celebration of Food, Friends, and Healthy Living. 3d ed. Atlanta: American Cancer Society, 2005.
“American Cancer Society Celebrates its Volunteers.” American Cancer Society, 10 Apr. 2024, pressroom.cancer.org/releases?item=302. Accessed 11 June 2024.
“Breaking Barriers in Cancer Care: The American Cancer Society and Pfizer Announce a $15 Million, Three-Year Initiative to Bridge the Gap in Cancer Care Disparities.” Pfizer, 5 Feb. 2024, www.pfizer.com/news/press-release/press-release-detail/breaking-barriers-cancer-care-american-cancer-society-and. Accessed 11 June 2024.
Herdman, Roger, and Leonard Lichtenfeld, eds. Fulfilling the Potential of Cancer Prevention and Early Detection: An American Cancer Society and Institute of Medicine Symposium. Washington, D.C.: National Academies Press, 2004.
“Our History.” American Cancer Society, 29 Apr. 2024, www.cancer.org/about-us/who-we-are/our-history.html. Accessed 11 June 2024.
Ross, Walter S. Crusade: The Official History of the American Cancer Society. New York: Arbor House, 1987.
Stein, Kevin, et al. “The American Cancer Society’s Studies of Cancer Survivors.” American Journal of Nursing, vol. 106, no. 3, Mar. 2006, pp. 83-85.
"Where Does Your Money Go?" American Cancer Society, 2016, www.cancer.org/research/infographics-gallery/where-does-money-go.html. Accessed 22 Jan. 2018.