Setting the Stage for the
Conquest of Cancer
The National Cancer Act of 1971
Historically the United States has repeatedly demonstrated
its commitment to the fight against cancer. Our Nation’s
policymakers’ long-standing, bipartisan commitment to
reducing the burden of cancer has resulted in countless
notable successes and has created an extraordinary
foundation of scientific knowledge and an ever-increasing
understanding of this devastating disease.
December 23, 1971: President Nixon signs the National Cancer Act of 1971, making the conquest of cancer a national priority.
The conquest of cancer became a cornerstone of our
Nation’s health agenda as far back as 1937, when President
Franklin Delano Roosevelt signed the National Cancer
Institute Act which established the country’s first-ever
independent research institute to “provide for, foster, and aid
in coordinating research related to cancer.”
Twenty-five years later, then President John F. Kennedy
declared that Americans would land on the moon before the
