The expanding role of cancer control & the U.S. National Cancer Institute: Policy implications for global cancer care

How vision and leadership shaped the U.S. National Cancer Institute's 50-year journey to advance the evidence base of cancer control and cancer care delivery research

“…Building on the work of the DCPC and the ARB, Rimer and Hiatt quickly expanded existing databases to monitor practice and utilization patterns and recruited researchers to study social-behavioral interventions and cancer care delivery and outcomes [ 40 ]. The Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results program was expanded through collaborations with other federal agencies for data linkages [ 5 ]. To provide a greater focus on the care continuum, the Office of Cancer Survivorship, recently established to study the unique needs of the growing number of cancer survivors and respond to the expanding advocacy community [ 41 , 42 ], was incorporated into the division [ 43 ].…”

“…Recognizing the need for multilevel interventions [ 52 ], the division convened a forum to identify needed research, understand the current state of the science, and clarify issues in the conceptualization of this research across scientific disciplines [ 53 ]. In 2014, the division was reorganized into four research areas [ 5 ] that enable it to continue its unique role in funding the conduct of longitudinal studies with large patient populations, respond to changes in science, and understand the multilevel influence of an increasingly complex delivery system.…”

“…Human costs aside, the economic burden of cancer-related healthcare was $147.3 billion in 2017 [ 2 ]. That year, the World Health Assembly urged the promotion of cancer research “to improve the evidence base for cancer prevention and control” [ 3 ] – a concept pioneered in the United States with the 1971 passage of the National Cancer Act, often referred to as the “War on Cancer” [ 4 , 5 ].…”

“…For nearly 50 years, the U.S. National Cancer Institute (NCI) has worked to improve the evidence base of cancer prevention and control [ 5 ] and address the reality of a changing healthcare delivery system. While much progress has been made, there continue to be challenges.…”

Achieving a multilevel evidence-based approach to improve cancer care in the U.S. post-COVID era: What is the role of management?

“…The National Cancer Institute (NCI), the leading cancer research organization in the world, has been conducting cancer control research since the passage of the National Cancer Act in 1971, with an expanding portfolio of evidence-based interventions to improve cancer care [ 14 ]. In 2014, the NCI, as part of a reorganization of community-based clinical programs, launched the NCI Community Oncology Research Program (NCORP).…”