Funding research. Raising awareness. Bringing hope. These activities are the cornerstone of The ASCO Cancer Foundation®.

The Foundation harnesses the knowledge of ASCO's more than 28,000 oncologists and health-care providers to improve the treatment and survival of people living with cancer. The funding of breakthrough research, education, and quality improvement programs in cancer care gives patients and caregivers powerful resources to address the disease.

Fostering Crucial Programs

ASCO's primary goal is to provide critical programs and resources to its members. But the organization also has a broader, public/societal mission.

"We feel that we, as cancer physicians, carry the public's trust with us. There are things that we want to do that make the world a better place that are not strictly member benefits," Allen S. Lichter, MD, ASCO CEO and the first Chair of the Foundation Board, said. Crucial programs such as investigator grants and awards cannot be supported by member dues alone; the Society relies on philanthropic gifts to make them possible.

"Supporting public policy that affects patients with cancer and Americans in general, making sure that the public has an adequate supply of well-distributed oncology physicians, ensuring that the uninsured can receive the highest quality cancer care, reducing disparities in cancer outcomes, promoting the diversity of the oncology workforce: these are programs for which we need to raise funds. For ASCO to reach its full potential, to do as much good in the world as it possibly can, we are highly dependent on the success of the Foundation," Dr. Lichter said.

"Over the past 10 years, The ASCO Cancer Foundation has steadily grown through the dedicated support of our donors. We continue to increase our charitable activities in support of ASCO and the Foundation's shared mission to improve cancer care," Nancy R. Daly, MS, MPH, Executive Director of the Foundation, said.

The success of the Foundation, and the opportunities it yields, keep hope alive for oncologists and their patients. "Every day when the Society's members get up, they do so because they are devoting their creativity, understanding, and knowledge to bringing more sunrises to their patients," Martin J. Murphy, PhD, DMedSc, Chair of the Foundation Board of Directors, said. "Charitable contributions to the Foundation are more than just charity-they are investments in the future of care for patients with cancer."

Supporting Critical Research

The Foundation is perhaps best known for its robust portfolio of grants and awards that support oncologists at all levels of their careers. In the past ten years, the Grants Program has grown exponentially. Since its inception, the program has awarded over 800 grants, totaling more than $66 million, which have helped to transform the way cancer is prevented, detected, and treated. An article in the March 20, 2010 issue of Journal of Clinical Oncology details how the Grants Program has grown and evolved, and highlights how the program has launched the careers of multiple generations of physician-scientists.

The Foundation "provides a venue and a method for supporting cancer clinical research in an oncologist's early, mid-, and even later career in an era when funding from other sources is decreasing. We fill, and thereby our members can help fill, a crucial need, which is to advance the treatment of cancer and care of our patients," Joseph S. Bailes, MD, said. The Immediate Past Chair of the Foundation Board of Directors, Dr. Bailes oversaw the establishment of the Foundation's Mission Endowment and the Susan G. Komen for the Cure®/ASCO Cancer Foundation  Collaborative Commitment, both in 2008. The $12.1 million Endowment was created through support of four "Founding Donors" (Genentech BioOncology™, GlaxoSmithKline Oncology, Novartis Oncology, and sanofi-aventis) and supplemented by two Sustaining Donors (Millennium: The Takeda Oncology Company and sanofi-aventis). The Mission Endowment's unrestricted funds support a wide array of initiatives that are guided by "five pillars": research, professional education, patient education and information, quality of and access to care, and international programs.

The $10 million Komen/Foundation collaboration currently supports the Breast Cancer Symposium, the Diversity in Oncology Initiative, the Study of Collaborative Practice Arrangements, the Study of Geographic Access to Oncology Care, the Breast Cancer Registry Pilot Program, Young Investigator Awards (YIAs), and the Improving Cancer Care Grant.

Furthering ASCO's Public/Societal Mission

Providing up-to-date, oncologist-approved, unbiased cancer information to patients is a crucial part of the Foundation's mission. For this reason, Cancer.Net, the Society's patient information website, is supported by the Foundation. Cancer.Net is the first resource that many patients, friends, and family members turn to at the time of a cancer diagnosis, throughout treatment, and into survivorship.

"Cancer is a catastrophic disease," Dr. Murphy said. With Cancer.Net, the Foundation and ASCO "have an extraordinary opportunity to express their dedication to the people who need to know there is a Society that has their best interests at heart. And there is a need to express that to all the people who don't know yet that ASCO is going to be important" when they or the people they love are affected by cancer.

To increase awareness of cancer and of the resources that ASCO offers to patients and the public, the Foundation and Cancer.Net have reached out to serve as knowledge partners for athletic events and television programs including Skate America (see related story on page 31) and Kaleidoscope, a holiday entertainment variety special featuring Olympic skating champions and Grammy Award-winning music artists that aired on Fox Television last Thanksgiving Day.

"We have to get the public involved to support ASCO, and help the public to understand that ASCO is fighting the battles that have significantly improved the survival and quality of life of our patients," Michael B. Troner, MD, Past Chair of the Foundation Board of Directors, said. "The Foundation is a great way to make non-physicians aware of how we work."

Leadership to Legacy

Being a leader in the field of oncology means not only understanding and reacting to our pressing needs today, but also taking the actions necessary to allow the field to advance and thrive in the future. In oncology, as throughout medicine, clinical research is the keystone of progress in improving care. The ASCO Cancer Foundation is proud to have one of the strongest grants programs among professional societies. In order to continue to expand their efforts to fund the best and brightest in oncology research, the Foundation has launched its Leadership to Legacy annual campaign. This campaign is designed to give oncology professionals the opportunity to regularly support the research that will ultimately build our professional legacy. Leadership to Legacy will be promoted to ASCO Members throughout the year, but during the ASCO Annual Meeting, all attendees are invited to participate and support research by donating at the Foundation's Donor Lounge or in the boxes that are located throughout McCormick Place.

Looking to the Future

The Foundation is not resting on the laurels of a successful decade. "We are proud of how far we've come in the last 10 years, and we are equally excited about the path that lies ahead of us," said Ms. Daly. "We are steadfastly committed to growing and diversifying our sources of support, so that we can continue to provide unparalleled programs to oncologists, patients, and the community."

Until cancer is eradicated, the Board, member volunteers, and staff continue to find new methods and opportunities to contribute to the fight against the disease. The Foundation's work is crucial, Dr. Murphy said, because "our job, our great honor, is to carry the message of ASCO's dedication and to hold that torch aloft, because it is a beacon of hope for a better future for all patients with cancer."

Selected portions reprinted from ASCO News & Forum. © American Society of Clinical Oncology. ("Funding the Future." ASCO News & Forum, January 2010: 12-17) All rights reserved.