The National Cancer Institute (NCI), in partnership with the American Cancer Society (ACS), has enrolled its goal of 50,000 current or former smokers in the National Lung Screening Trial (NLST). The study, launched in September 2002, was designed to determine if screening with either spiral computed tomography (CT) or chest X-ray before the appearance of symptoms of lung cancer can reduce deaths from the disease. NLST remains open at select sites to collect blood, urine, and phlegm to help doctors identify biomarkers, or tumor markers, of lung cancer.

"Reaching this goal is a tremendous first step in our efforts to learn as much as we can about lung cancer screening," said NCI Director Andrew C. von Eschenbach, M.D. "This is a critically important trial and the rapid accrual means we're quickly moving forward to obtain answers about screening. This is very encouraging."  Read more  

The cancer community has proven that it is willing and able to dedicate tremendous amounts of energy and resources to our efforts to prevent and treat cancer. It is only recently, however, that we have begun to appreciate that combining this diligence with a strategic focus on collaboration will advance our efforts at a far more rapid pace. The continued collaboration of NCI and the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) - including initiatives such as our work on proteomics beginning in 1997 and the recently announced initiatives such as a common bioinformatics infrastructure - stands as a shining beacon in this regard.

It should be no surprise then that, when the decision was made to begin a new lecture series, the NCI Director's Seminar Series, I asked FDA Commissioner Dr. Mark B. McClellan to be the inaugural speaker. The goal of the series is simple: to provide a venue for national health care leaders to detail the extraordinary advances that are shaping the prevention and treatment of cancer. As NCI works toward achieving its challenge goal of eliminating the suffering and death due to cancer by 2015, it is more important than ever that we ensure the continued exchange of ideas to keep the cancer community informed about the breadth of work being done to achieve this ambitious but achievable goal. Since becoming FDA commissioner, Dr. McClellan has shown an intense commitment to being a true agent of change at the FDA and a leader in the fight against cancer, and I am excited that he will help NCI kick off this important new series on February 2 at 9:00 a.m. in Masur Auditorium.  Read more  

This NCI Cancer Bulletin is produced by the National Cancer Institute (NCI). NCI, which was established in 1937, leads a national effort to eliminate the suffering and death due to cancer. Through basic and clinical biomedical research and training, NCI conducts and supports research that will lead to a future in which we can prevent cancer before it starts, identify cancers that do develop at the earliest stage, eliminate cancers through innovative treatment interventions, and biologically control those cancers that we cannot eliminate so they become manageable, chronic diseases. For more information on cancer, call 1-800-4-CANCER or visit http://www.cancer.gov. NCI Cancer Bulletin staff can be reached at ncicancerbulletin@mail.nih.gov.