This trend must continue and accelerate ( 4) if the cancer community is going to collectively achieve the goals of the President and First Lady's Cancer Moonshot, ( 5) – reduce the cancer mortality rate by 50% by 2047 in the United States and improve the experience of those living with cancer.
Since the signing of the National Cancer Act of 1971 ( 1) that empowered the NCI to take broad and bold steps to carry out the national effort against cancer through the creation of a National Cancer Program ( 2), we have seen a tremendous rise in the innovative approaches with which we treat cancer and the depth of knowledge we have about cancer. We have amassed an astonishing array of tools to help us achieve earlier diagnoses, less toxic treatments, better quality of life in survivorship, and more equitable distribution of benefits of research. Importantly, this progress has led to meaningful improvements in the outcomes faced by many people diagnosed with cancer; cancer mortality has declined by a third in just the past three decades ( 3). This trend must continue and accelerate ( 4) if the cancer community is going to collectively achieve the goals of the President and First Lady's Cancer Moonshot, ( 5) – reduce the cancer mortality rate by 50% by 2047 in the United States and improve the experience of those living with cancer. We are also at a critical inflection point in this effort – we can reach more patients, apply technologies to a broader array of cancers, and achieve both scientific and cultural shifts needed to accomplish the sea change we so urgently need. Yet, cancer remains a top fear of many, and virtually everyone can easily name a loved one or friend who lost their life to cancer. To change what it means to face a cancer diagnosis, we have more work to do as a community.