Alfred Knudson, Fox Chase Cancer Center, and Anna T. Meadows, University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine
The College of Physicians of Philadelphia, Section on Medical History
In 1970, President Richard Nixon declared war on cancer. During the past forty years, much progress has been made toward achieving the goal of controlling this disease, and the mortality rates for almost all cancers have declined. Significant advances have been made, especially in the cure of pediatric cancers, by virtue of a coordinated national effort. Medical oncologists have successfully adopted the approaches of pediatric oncologists, which has also led to cures. In addition, greater knowledge of specific etiological factors has reduced mortality through prevention efforts made worldwide. However, the most dramatic advances during the past four decades have been in the areas of basic science and genetics. We will discuss the roles of heredity, environment and spontaneous mutation in the origin of cancer, what we may learn from hereditary cancer, how some cancers can be cured and others prevented, and why the disease will never disappear.