Skip to main content

Thank you for visiting nature.com. You are using a browser version with limited support for CSS. To obtain the best experience, we recommend you use a more up to date browser (or turn off compatibility mode in Internet Explorer). In the meantime, to ensure continued support, we are displaying the site without styles and JavaScript.

  • Science and Society
  • Published:

Philanthropic partnerships and the future of cancer research

Nature Reviews Cancer volume 15, pages 125–129 (2015)Cite this article

Subjects

Abstract

Complementing government and industry funding, philanthropies have made distinct contributions to altering the trajectory of cancer research, often in ways that reflect both the business training of their donors and their close ties to the lay public.

This is a preview of subscription content, access via your institution

Access options

Buy this article

  • Purchase on Springer Link
  • Instant access to full article PDF
Buy now

Prices may be subject to local taxes which are calculated during checkout

Figure 1: Philanthropy in the lead-up to the 'War on Cancer'.
Figure 2: An educational pamphlet of the Women's Field Army of the American Society for the Control of Cancer.

References

  1. Dunn, F. B. National Cancer Act: leaders reflect on 30 years of progress. J. Natl Cancer Inst. 94, 8–9 (2002).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  2. Sporn, M. B. The war on cancer. Lancet. 347, 1377–1381 (1996).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  3. Devita, V. T. Jr. A perspective on the war on cancer. Cancer J. 8, 352–356 (2002).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  4. Haber, D. A., Gray, N. S. & Baselga, J. The evolving war on cancer. Cell. 145, 19–24 (2011).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  5. Eckhouse, S., Lewison, G. & Sullivan, R. Trends in the global funding and activity of cancer research. Mol. Oncol. 2, 20–32 (2008).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  6. Potti, A., Schlisky, R. L. & Nevins, J. R. Refocusing the war on cancer: the critical role of personalized treatment. Sci. Transl Med. 28, 28cm13 (2010).

    Google Scholar 

  7. Carter, A. J. R. & Nguyen, C. N. A comparison of cancer burden and research spending reveals discrepancies in the distribution of research funding. BMC Public Health. 12, 526 (2012).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  8. Kanavos, P. et al. The role of funding and policies on innovation in cancer drug development. Ecancermedicalscience. 4, 164 (2010).

    CAS  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  9. O'Toole, L., Nurse, P. & Radda, G. An analysis of cancer research funding in the UK. Nature Rev. Cancer. 3, 139–143 (2003).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  10. Gatenby, R. A. A change of strategy in the war on cancer. Nature. 459, 508–509 (2009).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  11. Faguet, G. B. The War on Cancer: An Anatomy of Failure, a Blueprint for the Future (Dordrecht: Springer, 2005).

    Google Scholar 

  12. Leaf, C. The Truth in Small Doses: Why We're Losing the War on Cancer – and How to Win It (New York, 2013).

    Google Scholar 

  13. LaBeaud, A. D. & McKeating, H. The largest drought in American history: funding for science is drying up. PLOS Negl. Trop. Dis. 7, e2351 (2013).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  14. Dorsey, E. R. et al. Funding of US biomedical research, 2003–2008. JAMA. 303, 137–143 (2010).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  15. Cantor, D. Introduction: cancer control and prevention in the twentieth century. Bull. Hist. Med. 81, 1–38 (2007).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  16. Ginzberg, E. & Dutka, A. B. The Financing of Biomedical Research (Johns Hopkins Univ. Press, 1989).

    Google Scholar 

  17. Moses, H. 3rd, Dorsey, E. R., Matheson, D. H. & Thier, S. O. Financial anatomy of biomedical research. JAMA. 294, 1333–1342 (2005).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  18. Varmus, H. The Art and Politics of Science (W. W. Norton, 2009).

    Google Scholar 

  19. Keiper, A. A look at philanthropy's distinctive niche in medical research. Philanthropy [online], (2010).

    Google Scholar 

  20. Cantor, D. in Companion Encyclopedia of the History of Medicine, vol. I (eds Bynum, W. F. & Porter, R.) 537–561 (Routledge, 1993).

    Google Scholar 

  21. Austoker, J. A. History of the Imperial Cancer Research Fund, 1902–1986 (Oxford Univ. Press, 1988).

    Google Scholar 

  22. Shimkin, M. B. Contrary to Nature: Being an Illustrated Commentary on Some Persons and Events of Historical Importance in the Development of Knowledge Concerning Cancer. (US Department of Health, 1977).

    Google Scholar 

  23. Bloom, H. J. The natural history of untreated breast cancer. Ann. NY Acad. Sci. 114, 747–754 (1964).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  24. Pinell, P. & Brossat, S. The birth of cancer policies in France. Sociol Health Illn. 10, 579–607 (1988).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  25. Eraso, Y. Controlling cancer in Argentina. Divergent initiatives and the road to fragmentation. Dynamis. 34, 73–99 (2014).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  26. Patterson, J. T. Dread Disease: Cancer and Modern American Culture (Harvard Univ. Press, 1987).

    Google Scholar 

  27. Sabin, F. R. The Lymphatics, in Cancer: A Study for Laymen Prepared for the Women's Field Army of the American Society for the Control of Cancer, Inc. 49–51 (Farrar and Rinehart, 1944).

    Google Scholar 

  28. Little, C. C. Research, in Cancer: A Study for Laymen Prepared for the Women's Field Army of the American Society for the Control of Cancer, Inc. 3–46 (Farrar and Rinehart, 1944).

    Google Scholar 

  29. Rettig, R. A. Cancer Crusade: the Story of the National Cancer Act of 1971 (Princeton Univ. Press, 1977).

    Google Scholar 

  30. Bud, R. F. Strategy in American cancer research after World War II: a case study. Soc. Stud. Sci. 8, 425–459 (1978).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  31. Strickland, S. P. Politics, Science, and Dread Disease: A Short History of United States Research Policy (Harvard Univ. Press, 1972).

    Book  Google Scholar 

  32. Olson, J. S. Making cancer history: disease & discovery at the University of Texas, M. D. Anderson Cancer Center. Yale J. Biol. Med. 83, 50–51 (Johns Hopkins Univ. Press, 2009).

    Google Scholar 

  33. Boyland, E. & Harris, R. J. C. Professor Sir Alexander Haddow. Cancer Res. 37, 1584–1586 (1977).

    Google Scholar 

  34. Sloan–Kettering Institute for Cancer Research. The Weeds and the Grass: Research for the Conquest of Cancer: Report of the Sloan–Kettering Institute for Cancer Research, Division of Memorial Hospital Center (Memorial Hospital Center, 1948).

  35. Rubenstein, J. The Changing US Auto Industry: A Geographical Analysis (Routledge, 1992).

    Book  Google Scholar 

  36. Devita, V. T. Jr. & Chu, E. A history of cancer chemotherapy. Cancer Res. 68, 8643–8653 (2008).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  37. Kamb, A. What's wrong with our cancer models? Nature Rev. Drug Discov. 4, 161–165 (2005).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  38. Laszlo, J. The Cure of Childhood Leukemia: Into the Age of Miracles (Rutgers University Press, 1995).

    Google Scholar 

  39. Chabner, B. A. & Roberts, T. G. Jr. Chemotherapy and the war on cancer. Nature Rev. Cancer. 5, 65–72 (2005).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  40. Mukherjee, S. The Emperor of All Maladies: a Biography of Cancer (Scribner, 2010).

    Google Scholar 

  41. Krueger, G. M. “For. Jimmy and the boys and girls of America”: publicizing childhood cancers in twentieth-century America. Bull. Hist. Med. 81, 70–93 (2007).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  42. McGeary, M. & Burstein, M. Sources of Cancer Research Funding in the United States, Prepared for National Cancer Policy Board, Institute of Medicine [online], (June 1999).

  43. Myers, E. R., Alciati, M. H., Ahlport, K. N. & Sung, N. S. Similarities and differences in philanthropic and federal support for medical research in the United States: an analysis of funding by non-profits in 2006–2008. Acad. Med. 87, 1574–1581 (2012).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  44. Jenks, S. Cancer research funding now has many financial players. J. Natl Cancer Inst. 91, 1187–1189 (1999).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  45. Cheng, M. H. Cancer research funding in Asia. Mol. Oncol. 1, 135–137 (2007).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  46. Fricker, J. Cancer research funding in Europe. Mol. Oncol. 1, 131–134 (2007).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  47. Patel, J. D. Clinical cancer advances 2013: annual report on progress against cancer from the American Society of Clinical Oncology. J. Clin. Oncol. 32, 129–160 (2014).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  48. Hitt, E. The flat-funding years and the National Cancer Institute: consequences for cancer research. Mol. Oncol. 2, 290–292 (2008).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  49. Schmidt, C. Cancer research: evaluating the sequester's impact. J. Natl Cancer Inst. 105, 1160–1161 (2013).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  50. Timmermann, C. A History of Lung Cancer: The Recalcitrant Disease (Houndmills, 2014).

    Book  Google Scholar 

  51. Brinker, N. G. When society meets science. Nature Med. 11, 1040–1042 (2005).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  52. Brinker, N. G. & Rodgers, J. Promise Me: How a Sister's Love Launched the Global Movement to End Breast Cancer. (Crown Archetype, 2010).

    Google Scholar 

  53. King, S. Pink Ribbons Inc.: Breast Cancer and the Politics of Philanthropy. (University of Minnesota Press, 2006).

    Google Scholar 

  54. Sulik, G. A. Pink Ribbon Blues: How Breast Cancer Culture Undermines Women's Health. (Oxford University Press, 2011).

    Google Scholar 

  55. Angell, M. The Truth About the Drug Companies: How They Deceive Us and What to Do About It (Random House Inc., 2004).

    Google Scholar 

  56. Einstein, M. Compassion, Inc.: How Corporate America Blurs the Line between What We Buy, Who We Are, and Those We Help (Berkeley, 2012).

    Google Scholar 

  57. Palkhivala, A. The challenge of funding research on rare malignancies. J. Natl Cancer Inst. 103, 1650–1652 (2011).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  58. [no authors listed] No science left behind. Nature Neurosci. 11, 1117 (2008).

  59. Hede, K. Research foundations find strength in numbers. J. Natl Cancer Inst. 98, 572–574 (2006).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  60. A Consortium of Biomedical and Health Research Organizations. The first translational block: accelerating new therapeutics, in Health Research Alliance, a consortium of biomedical and health research organizations, partnering to advance health research: philanthropy's role. (eds Sung, N. & Franko, M.) [online], (2004).

  61. Aebischer, P. Philanthropy: the price of charity. Nature. 481, 260 (2012).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  62. Burki, T. K. Stand Up to Cancer. Lancet Oncol. 13, 1197–1198 (2012).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  63. DeVita, V. T. Jr. Research: the moving parts. CA Cancer J. Clin. 63, 5–8 (2013).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  64. Cantor, D. Uncertain enthusiasm: the American Cancer Society, public education, and the problems of the movie, 1921–1960. Bull. Hist. Med. 81, 39–69 (2007).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  65. Pinell, P. The Fight Against Cancer: France, 1890–1940 (Routledge, 2002).

    Google Scholar 

  66. American Society for the Control of Cancer, Women's Field Army. Treated in time cancer can be cured, American Society for the Control of Cancer, Catalogue of Educational Materials. (American Society for the Control of Cancer).

  67. Lasker, M. Mary Lasker Papers, Columbia University Rare Book and Manuscript Library, New York. (1940–1993).

Download references

Acknowledgements

The author acknowledges with deepest gratitude the contributions of S. Podolsky and M. Harrison to her research and writing on the history of cancer.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Harvard Medical School, 25 Shattuck Street, Boston, 02115, Massachusetts, USA

    Yonina R. Murciano-Goroff

Authors
  1. Yonina R. Murciano-Goroff
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Yonina R. Murciano-Goroff.

Ethics declarations

Competing interests

Y.R.M.-G. received Wellcome Trust scholarships (2006–2010).

Related links

PowerPoint slides

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this article

Murciano-Goroff, Y. Philanthropic partnerships and the future of cancer research. Nat Rev Cancer 15, 125–129 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1038/nrc3862

Download citation

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/nrc3862

Search

Advanced search

Quick links

Nature Briefing: Cancer

Sign up for the Nature Briefing: Cancer newsletter — what matters in cancer research, free to your inbox weekly.

Get what matters in cancer research, free to your inbox weekly. Sign up for Nature Briefing: Cancer