Dr. Andrew Von Eschenbach, director of the National Cancer Institute, outlined his ambitious goal to eliminate suffering and death from cancer by the year 2015 in the first “Cancer Answer Evening” of 2004 on Tuesday. Photo by Dana Johnson
National Cancer Institute director envisions end of suffering, death from cancer by 2015
The leader of the nation’s war on cancer, Dr. Andrew Von Eschenbach, outlined his ambitious goal to eliminate suffering and death from cancer by the year 2015 —only 11 years away — during two speaking engagements at Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center this week.
Von Eschenbach, director of the National Cancer Institute, emphasized the critical role that cancer centers like Vanderbilt-Ingram will play in meeting that challenge through scientific discovery, development of new preventions and treatments, and delivery of that care to all who need it.
“When I announced this goal a year ago, I’ll admit it was met with a lot of skepticism,” Von Eschenbach told about 100 community members who gathered Tuesday for a special “Cancer Answer Evening” discussion.
“But when I visit places like Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center and meet with the people who are doing the work, there’s not a shred of doubt in my mind that it’s going to happen.”
Von Eschenbach noted that when President Nixon signed the National Cancer Act in 1971, “we committed to conquer cancer but we didn’t understand the disease.” Today, the enemy is better known than ever before.
“In 1971, we began a journey of progress, discovery and understanding that has allowed us now – for the first time – to really understand cancer at its most fundamental genetic and molecular level,” Von Eschenbach said. “That allows us to recommit and renew the promise of 1971 but to frame it in much more realistic expectations.”
Those expectations are not to eliminate cancer. “I don’t know when that will happen,” he said. Instead, the challenge is to understand cancer as a long and evolving disease process and to develop ways to intervene at every stage so that no one has to suffer and die prematurely because of cancer, he said.
Success will depend on a comprehensive approach that includes not only innovative new treatments to cure cancers more effectively and with less damage to the rest of the body but also strategies to prevent cancers from ever developing in the first place.
It also includes improving quality of life for cancer survivors, many of whom will be living with their cancer as a chronic but manageable disease akin to diabetes or hypertension, he predicted. He noted that in 1971, there were 3 million cancer survivors living in the United States; today, the figure approaches 10 million.
“This dream of eliminating death due to cancer is going to come true, and we don’t want to just live, we want to live well,” said Von Eschenbach, a three-time cancer survivor himself.
Von Eschenbach noted specific research being done at Vanderbilt-Ingram that is contributing toward the 2015 goal, including work in the proteomics facility he toured before addressing clinicians and scientists on Tuesday afternoon. He also noted the recent paper published by a Vanderbilt-Ingram team in the journal Science (see story on page 1) that sheds important light on how the interaction between cells and their neighbors contributes to cancer development.
“No matter how effective the NCI is, we could never do this alone,” he said. “We have to partner with the (NCI-designated) cancer centers; they are the critical platform where this discovery is taking place.“You are eliminating suffering and death due to cancer every day, and I thank you for that.”