American Cancer Society Research Program
10 RECENT IMPACTS ON CANCER
The American Cancer Society’s groundbreaking research program is finding answers that save lives from cancer and
putting them into action. For nearly 70 years, the Society has invested in research to find cures and better ways to
treat and prevent the disease. Following are some recent highlights of their work:
1. Tiny tech could be the future of
cancer monitoring: Nanoscale technology
is infiltrating everything from computers to cars
to clothing. Such tiny tech – 80,000 to 100,000
times smaller than a single strand of human hair –
may also become the basis for a next generation
cancer detection and monitoring system.
6. Lung screening importance:
Researchers from the American Cancer Society
have found that screening all former and
current smokers who fall within guideline
recommendations could prevent up to 12,000
lung cancer deaths a year in the US.
7. Be a stronger survivor: A review of
2. Investigating immunotherapy’s
promise: The cancer research world is
dedicating increasing energy to a rapidly
evolving type of treatment that has the potential
to be more effective – and in some cases less
toxic – than many of today’s existing options.
Using the body’s own natural system for fighting
disease, immunotherapy may also offer a lifeline
for patients with certain types of cancer who
have exhausted other treatment options.
3. New lung cancer mutations found:
The identification of four new types of genetic
mutations in the most common form of lung
cancer could open the door for targeted
treatment options for many more patients. This
discovery – made in part by Society-funded
researcher Alice Berger, PhD, of the Dana-Farber
Cancer Institute – adds to the existing scope of
known lung cancer mutations.
4. Getting breast cancer cells to stop
multiplying: Society-funded researcher
Xiaoting Zhang, PhD, is investigating ways to
lull breast cancer cells into a permanent sleep,
known as senescence, which could potentially
stop a tumor in its tracks.
5. Cancer death rates down: The rate of
death from cancer in the United States continues
to decline among both men and women, among
all major racial and ethnic groups, and for the
most common types of cancer.
scientific studies finds that physical therapy
and other types of rehabilitation can improve
cancer survivors’ quality of life by addressing
the physical and emotional problems that most
report experiencing.
8. Colon cancer screening science:
Society grantee Bert Vogelstein, MD, of the
Johns Hopkins Oncology Center won the first-
ever Breakthrough Prize in Life Sciences in
2013 – an award of $3 million – for his discovery
of three genes related to the development
of colon cancer, which led to advances in the
prevention and early detection of colon cancer.
9. Putting cancer data in the hands of
decision makers: The American Cancer
Society, the International Agency for Research
on Cancer, and the Union for International
Cancer Control partnered on The Cancer Atlas,
Second Edition and a new interactive website –
cancer.org/canceratlas – to allow global leaders
to better understand the cancer landscape and
take action to reduce the burden worldwide.
10. Fighting back against the tobacco
epidemic: The American Cancer Society
and the World Lung Foundation launched The
Tobacco Atlas, Fifth Edition, and its companion
mobile app and website (tobaccoatlas.org). The
Atlas graphically details the scale of the tobacco
epidemic, the progress being made in tobacco
control, and opportunities to increase tobacco
control globally.
©2015, American Cancer Society, Inc. No. 030935
12 • 2016 Relay for Life of South Lane County