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Salem Health: Cancer American Cancer Society (ACS) Category: Organizations Also 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 strived to educate people, including medical professionals, regarding cancerous conditions and treatments. The ASCC published articles in both mainstream and professional periodicals. During the mid-1930's, 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 physical and emotional pain, 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 Web site 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. A board of directors oversees national ACS activities, including distribution of fellowships and grants. Divisions and local units also conduct ACS work. By 2006, 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 causes of cancer and to improve prevention and treatment methods. By the early twenty-first century, the ACS had invested $3 billion for researchers to pursue investigations. As of 2007, the ACS awarded peer-evaluated projects $130 million yearly. ACS-supported achievements created better 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 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 in health lessons taught in many U.S. 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 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. The ACS allied with other health groups and the American Association of Retired Persons (AARP) promoting better health care access. The nonpartisan Cancer Action Network (CAN) complements the ACS, 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. Elizabeth D. Schafer, Ph.D. For Further InformationAmerican 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. 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. Levin, Bernard, et al., eds. American Cancer Society's Complete Guide to Colorectal Cancer. Foreword by Katie Couric. Atlanta: American Cancer Society, Health Promotions, 2006. Ross, Walter S. Crusade: The Official History of the American Cancer Society. New York: Arbor House, 1987. Sack, Kevin. "Cancer Society Focuses Its Ads on the Uninsured." The New York Times, August 31, 2007, A-1. Stein, Kevin, et al. "The American Cancer Society's Studies of Cancer Survivors." American Journal of Nursing 106, no. 3 (March, 2006): 83-85. Other Resources American Cancer Society http://www.cancer.org American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network http://www.acscan.org Cure: Cancer Updates, Research, and Education http://www.curetoday.com See Also American Association for Cancer Research; American Institute for Cancer Research; Dana-Farber Cancer Institute; Duke Comprehensive Cancer Center; Fox Chase Cancer Center; Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center; Jonsson Comprehensive Cancer Center at UCLA; M. D. Anderson Cancer Center; Mayo Clinic Cancer Center; Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center; National Cancer Institute; National Science Foundation; Prevent Cancer Foundation; Robert H. Lurie Comprehensive Cancer Center |
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