resulting from exposure to a variety of agents — chemicals, viruses, 

 and ionizing radiation — many of which are man-made. 



The various lines of research, which were undertaken primarily to 

 further the understanding of normal biological processes, laid the 

 basis for several therapeutic approaches to cancer. These included the 

 use of chemicals (drugs) which interfered with or inhibited the 

 continued growth of certain types of cancerous cells, as well as surgical 

 and radiological techniques. These therapies, used singly and in 

 combination, now permit a significant degree of success in treating 

 several types of cancer — childhood leukemia, Hodgkin's disease, 

 choriocarcinoma, skin cancer, prostate cancer, and cancer of the 

 uterine cervix. 



By the early 1970's, progress in the understanding of normal cell 

 biology and in some approaches to chemotherapy seemed sufficient to 

 convince some scientists that the stage had been set for a major, 

 focused attack on cancer. 



The National Cancer Program Plan 



The elimination of cancer was announced as a national goal in 

 1971, and the National Cancer Institute was directed by the President 

 to prepare a National Cancer Program Plan. Assisted by several 

 hundred of the most knowledgeable scientists in the country, the 

 Institute prepared a plan of effort which was published in 1973. The 

 most salient of the several volumes comprising the Plan are "The 

 Strategic Plan" and "Digest of Scientific Recommendations for the 

 National Cancer Program Plan." 



The ultimate goal of cancer research is the development of means 

 for eliminating human cancer. Toward this end, the National Cancer 

 Program Goal has been defined as follows: 



To develop, through research and development efforts, the means 

 to significantly reduce the incidence of cancer and human 

 morbidity and mortality from cancer by: 



• preventing as many cancers as possible 



• curing patients who develop cancer 



• providing maximum palliation to patients not cured 



• rehabilitating treated patients to as nearly normal a state as 

 possible. 



The Program, it should be noted, is one of research and 

 development, not of the delivery of health care. The ultimate 

 alleviation of cancer is to be achieved through the application of 

 research results by medical and public health practitioners, although a 



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