The mission of the American Cancer Society is to improve the lives of people with cancer and their families through advocacy, research, and patient support, to ensure everyone has an opportunity to prevent, detect, treat, and survive cancer.

We advocate for lifesaving policy changes. We promote healthy lifestyles to help you prevent cancer. We research cancer and its causes to find more answers and better treatments. We provide information, answers, and support to people in every community who have been touched by cancer.

The American Cancer Society was founded in 1913 by 10 doctors and 5 laypeople in New York City. It was called the American Society for the Control of Cancer (ASCC). At that time, a cancer diagnosis meant near-certain death. Rarely mentioned in public, this disease was steeped in fear and denial.

The sword symbol, adopted by the American Cancer Society in 1928, was designed by George E. Durant of Brooklyn, New York.

Help people recognize the early signs and symptoms of cancer, thus enabling them to seek treatment at an early stage. Educate people about the key risk factors, since more than 30% of cancer cases could be prevented by modifying lifestyle or avoiding the risk factors.

The goal of cancer treatment is to achieve a cure for your cancer, allowing you to live a normal life span. This may or may not be possible, depending on your specific situation.

Clinical cancer researchers conduct clinical trials, study a particular patient or group of patients, including their behaviors, or use materials from humans, such as blood or tissue samples, to learn about disease, how the healthy body works, or how it responds to treatment.

The American Cancer Society uses the term cancer survivor to refer to anyone who has ever been diagnosed with cancer no matter where they are in the course of their disease. In this section you'll find information and tips on staying active and healthy during and after cancer treatment.

When Marie Curie and Pierre Curie discovered radiation at the end of the 19th century, they stumbled upon the first effective non-surgical cancer treatment. With radiation also came the first signs of multi-disciplinary approaches to cancer treatment.

We were established in 1929 when the New Zealand Branch of the British Empire Cancer Campaign opened with the 'conquest of cancer' as its mission. The aim was to establish and maintain an association of people and organisations interested in the alleviation, prevention, and cure of cancer.

A lavender ribbon is usually a sign of support for those living with all types of cancer. Sometimes, people wear a rainbow of ribbons or a ribbon with many different colors to symbolize the same thing.

The pink ribbon is perhaps one of the most recognizable symbols in the fight against cancer.