The cancers to be studied first in the pilot phase of The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) project will be brain, lung, and ovarian, officials from NCI and the National Human Genome Research Institute (NHGRI) announced on September 13.

The Institutes launched the pilot phase of TCGA in December 2005 to assess the feasibility of systematically identifying the significant genomic changes involved in cancer using contemporary genomic analysis technologies, including resequencing of selected genes.  Read more  

Dr. John E. Niederhuber is sworn in as the 13th Director of the National Cancer Institute.

Now that it is official, let me emphasize once again what a special honor it is to lead the world's preeminent cancer research organization, especially at a time when our opportunities for progress are without precedent.

There is broad agreement among NCI leaders about how best to seize these opportunities. First, we must continue to address NCI's strategic priorities, through appropriately aligned new initiatives. Second, we are committed to striving to maintain the number of competing awards near the level achieved during the period when the NIH budget doubled. In addition, we are firmly committed to funding new investigators and devising incentives that will attract the best minds to a field so vital to the health of our citizens - and to our country's future development in a changing world market.

Sound fiscal planning, especially in today's difficult budgetary environment, will be required to achieve these goals.  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.