SPECIAL ISSUE: THE 50th ANNIVERSARY OF THE NATIONAL CANCER ACT OF 1971 - COMMENTARY - FIFTY YEARS OF ACCOMPLISHMENTS, BUT WE’VE ONLY JUST BEGUN

Abstract

The establishment of the United States (US) National Cancer Act (NCA) in 1971 was the touchstone event that revolutionized cancer care and forever changed the scienti c commitment to and public understanding of the diseases we call cancer. Over these last 50 years, tremendous progress has been made, but there is still much to be done. In addition to exponential advances in the understanding of the biology of cancer and the interventions to diagnose and treat it, there are four key areas of advancement that are essential to progress going forward and represent the patient- centric focus of modern cancer care – symptom management and supportive care, patient advocacy, team-based care and health equity.

Keywords

• symptom management
• patient advocacy
• team-based care
• health equity
• national cancer act