The National Cancer Institute: What It Is and What It Means to You

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Feb 24, 2012, 01:30 ET

by the National Cancer Institute

BETHESDA, Md., Feb. 24, 2012 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- If you've been following Lifelines articles about your health, you've been connected to information from the National Cancer Institute, or NCI for short. NCI is a U.S. government agency and part of the National Institutes of Health. More than 40 years ago, the National Cancer Act gave NCI new authorities as the government's principal agency for cancer research and training, including the responsibility for coordinating the National Cancer Program. What does this mean? It means that NCI has an important federal mandate to direct programs that investigate all aspects of cancer, from prevention and early detection to treatment and survivorship. In addition, NCI was charged with ensuring that doctors, patients, and the public receive the latest information about cancer.

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Cancer is really many diseases—not just one. It can begin in many different parts of the body, such as the breast or the prostate, and even cancers that develop in the same location can be very different from one another. Each type poses unique research questions that will ultimately help us solve the cancer puzzle. Investigators across the country and around the world are working day and night, focusing on specific pieces of the puzzle as they conduct research and share information about their findings. NCI has more than 3,000 employees in its federal ranks. And thousands of NCI-funded researchers are employed in universities, hospitals, and research institutions across the country and worldwide. Some of this research may be conducted in facilities near you, for example in NCI's network of cancer centers or in community hospitals.

When you hear about a new research advance – such as a vaccine for cervical cancer or a new test for colorectal cancer – it is often the result of research that has been funded by NCI. Other important NCI missions include training researchers and conducting clinical trials.

Because of the success of this work over many years, more people are living longer today after receiving a diagnosis of cancer. Of course, one important goal is to completely solve the puzzle of cancer and prevent it from happening in the first place. In the meantime, NCI is working to develop new methods of detecting cancer at the earliest stages, when it is most treatable, and new therapies that target the specific cellular and molecular changes that cause cells to become cancerous.

So what does NCI mean for you as a member of the public? In addition to funding research to improve patient outcomes, NCI has a mission to reach out to the public with information about the latest advances in cancer prevention, screening, and treatment. When you are confronted with a diagnosis of cancer—for yourself or in your family, your community, or your workplace—you have a place to go to for accurate, up-to-date information and resources to help you with the decisions you may have to make.

Researching Cancer in Communities of Color

What is even more important to you as a member of the Hispanic population is that NCI is committed to understanding cancer's impact on communities of color. Research shows that cancer disparities – inequities in the numbers of new cases and deaths for certain types of cancer according to race and ethnicity – do exist. As a result, NCI continues to investigate the causes of these disparities and find ways to eliminate them through research in the lab and in the field.

Where to Get Information

Here are some areas of NCI's website where you can learn more about NCI and cancer:

NCI's Websites (www.cancer.gov/espanol): These websites contain a wealth of accurate, up-to-date information based on research evidence about various types of cancer, as well as information on cancer prevention, detection, and treatment.
NCI Lifelines (www.cancer.gov/lifelines): Previous articles in the Lifelines series of monthly articles, along with companion videos, can be found here.
Center to Reduce Cancer Health Disparities (crchd.cancer.gov): The Center to Reduce Cancer Health Disparities is central to NCI's efforts to reduce the unequal burden of cancer and to eventually eliminate cancer health disparities through research, training, and outreach.
NCI Cancer Centers (cancercenters.cancer.gov/cancer_centers/index.html): NCI has a network of more than 60 Cancer Centers located in communities throughout the country. They deliver medical advances to patients and their families and reach out to underserved populations.
The NCI Community Cancer Centers Program (ncccp.cancer.gov): The NCCCP is a network of 30 community hospitals in 22 states supporting cancer research and enhancing cancer care for patients close to their homes.

If you are unable to get the information you need from these websites, you can always pick up the phone and call the Cancer Information Service (1-800-4-CANCER). You will be immediately connected to an information specialist who will answer your questions confidentially and even send you relevant materials. It is a free service that is funded by federal tax dollars.

Knowledge is power, and the more you learn about cancer the better prepared you will be if the disease strikes close to home. You should know that you can depend on your National Cancer Institute for accurate information that is based on scientific research and produced in plain language for the American public.

NCI leads the National Cancer Program and the NIH effort to dramatically reduce the burden of cancer and improve the lives of cancer patients and their families, through research into prevention and cancer biology, the development of new interventions, and the training and mentoring of new researchers. Resources and more information about cancer and smoking are available, please visit the NCI web site at www.cancer.gov/espanol or call NCI's Cancer Information Service at 1-800-4-CANCER (1-800-422-6237). More articles and videos in the culturally relevant Lifelines series are available at www.cancer.gov/lifelines.

SOURCE National Cancer Institute