National Cancer Institute 907835 207979136 2008-04-24T22:47:55Z Sardanaphalus 427947 /* References */ correcting link [[Image:US-NIH-NCI-Logo.svg|right|200px]] The '''National Cancer Institute (NCI)''' is part of the [[United States]] Federal government's [[National Institutes of Health]]. The NCI is a [[federally funded research and development center]], one of eight agencies that compose the [[United States Public Health Service|Public Health Service]] in the [[United States Department of Health and Human Services]]. As of September 2006, the current director of the NCI is Dr. [[John E. Niederhuber]]. The NCI coordinates the National Cancer Program. The National Cancer Institute has large intramural research programs in [[Bethesda, Maryland]] and [http://www.ncifcrf.gov NCI-Frederick] at [[Fort Detrick]], in [[Frederick, Maryland]]. In addition, the NCI funds cancer researchers around the United States. == Legislative history== [[Congress of the United States|Congress]] established the NCI by the '''National Cancer Institute Act''', [[August 5]], [[1937]], as an independent research institute. Congress then made the NCI an operating division of the National Institutes of Health by the [[Public Health Service Act]], [[July 1]], [[1944]]. Congress amended the [[Public Health Service Act]] with the [[National Cancer Act of 1971]] to broaden the scope and responsibilities of the NCI "in order more effectively to carry out the national effort against cancer." Over the years, legislative amendments have maintained the NCI authorities and responsibilities and added new information dissemination mandates as well as a requirement to assess the incorporation of state-of-the-art cancer treatments into clinical practice. ==Anti-cancer drug investigations== The NCI [[History of cancer chemotherapy|played an early role]] in the development of [[Chemotherapy|anti-cancer drugs]] in the U.S. According to a 1996 NCI analysis of drugs approved by the [[Food and Drug Administration|FDA]], two-thirds of the anti-cancer drugs approved as of the end of 1995 were NCI-sponsored [[Investigational New Drug]]s: <div style="float:left; width:49%;"> [[Alkylating antineoplastic agent|Alkylating agent]]s [[Image:Cyclophosphamide structure.svg|right|thumb|96px|[[Cyclophosphamide]].]]. *[[Chlorambucil]] ([[Leukeran]]) (1957) *[[Cyclophosphamide]] ([[Cytoxan]]) (1959) *[[Thiotepa]] (1959) *[[Melphalan]] ([[Alkeran]]) (1959) ([[Intravenous therapy|IV]] in 1993) *[[Streptozotocin]] ([[Zanosar]]) (1982) *[[Ifosfamide]] ([[Ifex]]) (1988) [[Antimetabolite]]s *[[Mercaptopurine]] (1953) *[[Methotrexate]] (1953) *[[Tioguanine|Thioguanine]] (1966) *[[Cytosine arabinoside]] ([[Ara-C]]) (1969) *[[Floxuridine]] ([[FUDR]]) (1970) *[[Fludarabine phosphate]] (1991) *[[Pentostatin]] (1991) *[[Cladribine|Chlorodeoxyadenosine]] (1992) Plant [[alkaloid]]s and [[antibiotic]]s [[Image:Vincristine.png|right|thumb|114px|[[Vincristine]].]] *[[Vincristine]] ([[Oncovin]]) (1963) *[[Actinomycin D]] ([[Cosmegen]]) (1964) *[[Mithramycin]] ([[Mithracin]]) (1970) *[[Bleomycin]] ([[Blenoxane]]) (1973) *[[Doxorubicin]] ([[Adriamycin]]) (1974) *[[Mitomycin C]] ([[Mutamycin]]) (1974) *[[L-Asparaginase]] ([[Elspar]]) (1978) *[[Daunomycin]] ([[Cerubidine]]) (1979) *[[VP-16-213]] ([[Etoposide]]) (1983) *[[VM-26]] ([[Teniposide]]) (1992) *[[Taxol]] ([[Paclitaxel]]) (1992) </div><div style="float:right; width:49%;"> [[Chemical synthesis|Synthetic]] drugs [[Image:Carboplatin.png|right|thumb|107px|[[Carboplatin]].]] *[[Hydroxyurea]] ([[Hydrea]]) (1967) *[[Procarbazine]] ([[Matulane]]) (1969) *O, P'-DDD ([[Lysodren]], [[Mitotane]]) (1970) *[[Dacarbazine]] ([[DTIC]]) (1975) *[[CCNU]] ([[Lomustine]]) (1976) *[[BCNU]] ([[Carmustine]]) (1977) *[[Cisplatin|Cis-diamminedichloroplatinum (Cisplatin)]] (1978) *[[Mitoxantrone]] ([[Novantrone]]) (1988) *[[Carboplatin]] ([[Paraplatin]]) (1989) *[[Levamisole]] ([[Ergamisol]]) (1990) *[[Altretamine|Hexamethylmelamine]] ([[Altretamine|Hexalen]]) (1990) *[[Tretinoin|All-trans retinoid acid]] ([[Vesanoid]]) (1995) *[[Porfimer sodium]] ([[Photofrin]]) (1995) [[Hormone]]s and [[steroid]]s *[[Diethylstilbestrol|DES]] (1950) *[[Prednisone]] (1953) *[[Fluoxymesterone]] ([[Halotestin]]) (1958) *[[Dromostanolone]] ([[Drolban]]) (1961) *[[Testolactone]] ([[Teslac]]) (1970) *[[Methyl prednisolone]] *[[Prednisolone]] *[[Zoladex]] (1989) Biologicals *Alpha [[interferon]] ([[Intron A]], [[Roferon-A]]) (1986) *[[Bacillus Calmette-Guérin|BCG]] ([[TheraCys]], [[TICE]]) (1990) *[[G-CSF]] (1991) *[[GM-CSF]] (1991) *[[Interleukin 2]] ([[Proleukin]]) (1992) </div><br clear="all"> In addition, scientists in the NCI played an important role in the discovery and development of important AIDS drugs including [[zidovudine]] (AZT), [[didanosine]] (ddI), and [[zalcitabine]] (ddC). == Controversy == The previous Director of the Institute is Dr. [[Andrew von Eschenbach]], who has been tapped by the administration to head the FDA replacing [[Lester Crawford]]. The NCI, in partnership with pharmaceutical companies, funds research into new drugs. These drugs may appear before the FDA for approval, and some anticipate that the FDA cannot be impartial if its head has an interest in seeing the drug approved because of another relationship. According to the [[Center for American Progress]], shortly after Dr. Eschenbach was appointed Director in 2002, he changed an informational fact sheet on [[breast cancer]] on the NCI site which for years had stated that there was no causal link between [[abortion]] and breast cancer. The new text said that "tests disproving the abortion - breast cancer link are inconclusive." One hundred NCI scientists signed a statement taking issue with that change, citing many studies, none of which found any such causal link. Dr. Eschenbach eventually relented and the original text in the fact sheet was restored. ==Quality Assurance== The NCI provides funding for numerous cancer research endeavors. Two of its largest known grants include the [[Radiological Physics Center]] (RPC) in [[Houston, Texas]] and the [[Quality Assurance Review Center]] (QARC) in [[Providence, Rhode Island]]. The RPC assures the NCI of proper participation in the physics-related aspects of its studies and QARC provides [[radiotherapy]] quality assurance and [[diagnostic imaging]] data management to all of the NCI sponsored cooperative groups. The RPC essentially guides all participating institutions as to how radiation is to be applied in a radiotherapy protocol. QARC on the other hand performs thousands of radiotherapy reviews per year and receives radiotherapy data from around one-thousand hospitals in both the [[United States]] and abroad. In all, over thirty-thousand cases have been reviewed at QARC since its inception in [[1977]]. QARC also maintains a strategic affiliation with the [[University of Massachusetts Medical School]] in [[Worcester, Massachusetts]]. The RPC has been consistently funded by the NCI since [[1968]] and QARC has received support from the NCI since [[1980]]. ==See also== *[[NCI-designated Cancer Center]] *[[caBIG]], the Cancer BioInformatics Grid, a National Cancer Institute (USA) initiative to link cancer researchers and their data *[[European Organisation for Research and Treatment of Cancer]] (EORTC) *[[Programme of Action for Cancer Therapy]] A close partner in dealing with cancer care in developing world ==External links== *[http://www.cancer.gov/ Official website] *[http://www.nih.gov/ National Institutes of Health] *[http://history.nih.gov/exhibits/history/docs/page_05.html NCI and the history of the NIH] * [http://cancer.iaea.org/ PACT: Programme of Action for Cancer Therapy] Program to establish cancer care capacity and comprehensive cancer control in developing world and a close partner to NCI *[http://www.qarc.org/ Quality Assurance Review Center] *[http://rpc.mdanderson.org/ Radiological Physics Center] * The [http://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Deutsches_Krebsforschungszentrum germ. Wikipedia about Deutsches Krebsforschungszentrum] (the nat. German institute on c.research) at [[Heidelberg]] *[http://home.ncifcrf.gov/ccr/lgd/ NCI Laboratory of Genomic Diversity] ==References== *"NCI MISSION STATEMENT." National Cancer Institute. [http://www.cancer.gov/aboutnci/overview/mission]. Retrieved [[18 August]] [[2004]]. *"THE NATIONAL CANCER ACT OF 1971." National Cancer Institute. [http://www3.cancer.gov/legis/1971canc.html]. Retrieved [[18 August]] [[2004]]. {{National Institutes of Health}} [[Category: Cancer organizations]] [[Category: Medical research institutes]] [[Category: National Institutes of Health|Cancer Institute]] [[fa:انستیتو ملی سرطان ایالات متحده آمریکا]] [[he:המכון הלאומי לסרטן]] [[ja:アメリカ国立癌研究所]] [[pl:National Cancer Institute]] [[uk:Національний інститут раку]] [[zh:國家癌症研究中心]]