The American Cancer Society (ACS) and the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) today announced an expanded collaboration to make it simpler for patients to find authoritative cancer information online. The partnership between ASCO, the leading organization for cancer care providers, and ACS, the leading patient education, support, and advocacy organization in cancer, will create one of the largest and most comprehensive online resources for credible cancer information, available for free to the public on cancer.org. The collaboration was unveiled as the global oncology community gathered to share and discuss the latest clinical cancer research transforming patient care at the 2024 ASCO Annual Meeting in Chicago.
The two organizations’ combined deep clinical expertise and knowledge of the latest cancer science will help patients and the cancer community have confidence that they’re getting the best information available.
“As part of the ACS goal to end cancer as we know it, for everyone, it is essential that we increase access to trusted and up-to-date information on cancer prevention, detection, and treatment,” said Karen E. Knudsen, MBA, PhD, Chief Executive Officer for the American Cancer Society and ACS Cancer Action Network. “The ACS-ASCO collaboration will achieve just that and enhance the depth and breadth of information available to cancer patients and their families.”
“At ASCO, our members see every day how confusing and painful it can be for too many patients and families as they try to make sense of cancer information while they’re navigating a diagnosis and treatment,” said ASCO’s Chief Executive Officer, Clifford A. Hudis, MD, FACP, FASCO. “This expanded partnership with ACS will improve our ability to get engaging and easy-to-understand cancer information in front of many more patients and their families, right when they need it most.”
This collaboration combines the best of the two organizations’ existing sites, cancer.org and cancer.net, addressing the entire cancer continuum from prevention and early detection through diagnosis, treatment, and survivorship. To ensure people with cancer can easily find and access high-quality information as they manage their treatment and cope with the disease, ACS and ASCO are aligning efforts to provide a single repository of credible, high-quality cancer information on cancer.org. Cancer.Net will be retired in early June and visitors will be redirected to cancer.org.
Combining resources to advance the Cancer Moonshot
As part of their ongoing support of the Biden Cancer Moonshot, which was reignited by President Biden and First Lady Biden to end cancer as we know it, ACS and ASCO worked together on this important strategic initiative to reduce duplication and find efficiencies to improve the experience of people facing cancer.
“The President and First Lady set two goals for the Biden Cancer Moonshot: to prevent more than 4 million cancer deaths by 2047, and to improve the experience of people who are touched by cancer,” said Dr. Danielle Carnival, Deputy Assistant to the President for the Cancer Moonshot. “The announcement today that ACS and ASCO are introducing an expanded cancer.org aligns with these goals. With this action, more patients, families, and caregivers across America—at all stages of the cancer journey—will have potentially life-saving information at their fingertips.”
“As the leader of the National Cancer Program, the National Cancer Institute (NCI) applauds this partnership, which demonstrates the value of organizations working together,” said NCI Director Dr. W. Kimryn Rathmell. “With the rapid pace of scientific advancement, we live in an era of heightened demand for reliable, timely, data-driven cancer information. However, the threat of misleading online information is real. I firmly believe it is our collective responsibility to support people with cancer and their loved ones with accurate, trustworthy information. NCI looks forward to exploring how this new partnership will complement other patient education efforts.”
A one-stop site for cancer information
This collaboration brings together two of the most trusted and influential organizations in oncology. It leverages each organization’s unique strengths to provide one location for cancer information to reach even more patients and caregivers. By fostering stronger health literacy along the cancer continuum, this comprehensive single source of credible, informative cancer content will help to support patients, families, and caregivers at every stage of their cancer journey.
ACS and ASCO have long shared a commitment to empowering people with high-quality information about cancer. In early 2022, the two organizations launched a partnership to provide shared content on cancer survivorship, long-term side effects of treatment, fertility, and post-traumatic stress through Cancer.org. The results of this pilot program demonstrated the effectiveness of combining resources to ensure maximum reach and impact of their content, paving the way for further collaboration today.