ACS CAN President's Statement on Obama's Speech

"President Obama could not have been more explicit in making cancer and health care top priorities for his administration. With extraordinary resolve, the President stated his goal to conquer cancer and to cure in our lifetime a disease that kills more than 560,000 people each year. He was also unequivocal in declaring that comprehensive health care reform must happen this year. On behalf of cancer patients and survivors across the country, the American Cancer Society and its advocacy affiliate, the American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network, commend the President for revitalizing the war on cancer and emphasizing the critical need for all Americans to have access to quality health care.

"We have made significant, measurable progress in recent years to help ensure that a cancer diagnosis is not a death sentence. Cancer mortality rates have dropped every year since 1991, reducing the chance of death from cancer in the United States by more than 10 percent for women and nearly 20 percent for men. But despite our progress, this fight is not getting any easier. Conquering cancer will require continued dedication and, most importantly, a sustained federal investment in research and prevention programs at the National Institutes of Health, the National Cancer Institute, and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention that explore the most effective ways to prevent and treat cancer. Defeating the disease will also require that we overhaul the health care system so as to expand access to prevention tests and quality health care coverage for every American."