In the wake of Hurricane Katrina, the National Cancer Institute (NCI) is working closely with the National Institutes of Health (NIH), the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), and other government and civilian agencies to bring relief to displaced cancer patients and others. As an immediate response, NCI has posted key federal assistance information and phone numbers on its Web site at http://www.cancer.gov/katrina with specific information in support of cancer patients.

"This disaster has touched the entire nation," said NCI Director Dr. Andrew C. von Eschenbach. "NCI is engaged in a number of opportunities, working within the framework of lead federal agencies and with civilian organizations and relief agencies, to assist cancer patients and medical professionals in the region who have been significantly affected."

Coordinating NCI efforts is Dr. Mark Clanton, deputy director for Cancer Care Delivery Systems. "Our first and foremost concern is the safety and well-being of medical personnel and patients in the area," Dr. Clanton said. "We are marshalling all available communication and information resources to accomplish this, and are also working to help NIH address the needs of displaced researchers and others."

NCI's Cancer Information Service (CIS) is providing staff and its 1-800-4-CANCER toll-free number toward relief efforts. CIS has also partnered with the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) to establish a contact point for oncologists. The NCI-ASCO collaboration serves several purposes:  Read more  

As we enter the final stretch of 2005, a glance back at the past 8 months offers a powerful reminder that NCI is an organization of constant innovation and change. Whether it's the proteomics and nanotechnology initiatives, or early efforts to characterize the human cancer genome, the NCI machinery is always pulsing at near breakneck pace.

An integral part of this machinery is the Center to Reduce Cancer Health Disparities (CRCHD), which has been under the superb leadership of Dr. Harold Freeman since its establishment in 2001. Dr. Freeman's role at NCI is about to change. He will no longer serve as CRCHD Director, but instead will serve as a senior advisor to the NCI Director on strategies to achieve the 2015 goal in minority and underserved communities.

Dr. Freeman also will be involved in other areas, including serving as a conduit between NCI and federal health agencies such as the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the Health Resources and Services Administration. For example, he will collaborate with CDC to create a joint NCI-CDC task force on patient navigation.  Read more  

The NCI Cancer Bulletin is produced by the National Cancer Institute (NCI). NCI, which was established in 1937, leads the national effort to eliminate the suffering and death due to cancer. Through basic, clinical, and population-based biomedical research and training, NCI conducts and supports research that will lead to a future in which we can identify the environmental and genetic causes of cancer, 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.