A century ago, a small group of physicians and lay people in New York City came together to launch a fight against cancer — a disease that, at the time, almost always ended in death. That small army of people committed to changing the future of cancer became the Atlanta-based American Cancer Society, which officially marks its 100th birthday on Wednesday.
The century of progress made against cancer by the society is now felt around the world, the nation and right here in Atlanta and across Georgia.
The face of cancer has changed dramatically since those dedicated individuals organized in 1913. Today, two out of three people diagnosed with cancer survive for at least five years. There are currently nearly 14 million cancer survivors in the United States, and that number is growing every year.
Since cancer death rates began dropping 20 years ago, more than 1 million cancer deaths have been avoided. With this progress, we’re saving 400 more lives each day compared to the early 1990s, and we have set the ambitious goal of getting to 1,000.
The society has been in the forefront of every major breakthrough in the fight against cancer, from bone marrow transplants to mammography to colonoscopy to drugs that are saving lives every day. We are the largest nonprofit, non-governmental funder of cancer research, investing more than $3.8 billion to date and funding the work of 46 scientists who have been awarded the Nobel Prize.
That investment includes our home state and hometown, with about $10 million in research grants currently in effect at institutions in Atlanta and throughout Georgia. We recently wrapped up enrollment in metro Atlanta in our landmark Cancer Prevention Study 3, which will follow 2,600 local participants, and 300,000 nationwide, for the rest of their lives to help us better understand what causes and prevents cancer and will lead to more cancer research breakthroughs.
Despite great progress, we know there’s much more work to do before we finish the fight against cancer. There are still too many people diagnosed with cancer every year, and too many deaths.
We know that by doing what we already know works — smoking cessation, better diet and more exercise, and early detection through regular cancer screenings — we can cut the annual number of cancer deaths in half. We are committed to finding the answers that will save thousands upon thousands of lives and forever change the impact of cancer for generations to come.
As we have done for 100 years, the American Cancer Society will continue to lead the charge to eradicate cancer and create a world with less cancer and more birthdays for everyone. We have never been closer than we are right now to our goal of finishing the fight. We urge everyone to get involved in this crucial battle. Find out how you can help at www.cancer.org/fight.
John R. Seffrin is CEO of the American Cancer Society, based in Atlanta.
