NCCS represents millions of cancer patients and survivors in the United States. However, not all those diagnosed with cancer have equal outcomes, which vary significantly based on factors like race, socioeconomic status, health insurance, and location. According to researchers, a quarter of the 600,000 annual cancer deaths in the US could be prevented if everyone had equal access to prevention, screening, and treatment. NCCS works on policy efforts to address health inequities and reduce disparities, though solutions are complex as many factors leading to inequity are deeply rooted in social determinants of health and systemic barriers. The Affordable Care Act has helped reduce disparities in access and mortality compared to states that did not expand Medicaid.

1. NCCS represents the millions of Americans who live with, through and beyond a cancer diagnosis. But the cancer
experience is not the same for everyone. Gains in cancer survival due to advances in treatment and screening are not
shared by all who are diagnosed with cancer.
Outcomes vary significantly based on a number of factors, including race/ethnicity, socioeconomic status, health
insurance status, and geographic location. According to researchers from the American Cancer Society, a quarter of the
approximately 600,000 annual cancer deaths in the United States could be prevented if everyone had access to the
same prevention, screening, and treatment.
NCCS works on policy efforts to address health equity and reducing disparities in outcomes. The problem of health
equity is complex, as some of the factors that lead to inequity are deeply rooted in social determinants of health and
systemic and institutional barriers. Many of the policies that would improve access to care would contribute to reducing
disparities. The Affordable Care Act (ACA), including its expansion of Medicaid, has reduced disparities in access to
care and mortality rates, compared to states that chose not to expand Medicaid.
In 1986, the founders of NCCS set out to establish an organization that would replace the words “cancer victim” with
“cancer survivor,” and bring about a different notion of the cancer experience. The founders envisioned an organization
that would deal with the full spectrum of survivorship issues related to living with, through and beyond a cancer
diagnosis.
Founded in Albuquerque, New Mexico, NCCS’s diverse leadership included some of the most recognized experts on
employment and disability law, health care consumerism and psychosocial and behavioral research. Consequently,
NCCS quickly developed a reputation as the “go to” organization for how to deal with the physiological, psychosocial,
economic and spiritual issues that accompany a cancer diagnosis. The informed patient was — and still is — at the
heart of NCCS’s mission. NCCS began its work by contributing to the literature and evidence base for quality cancer
care. NCCS’s first publication dealt with doctor/patient communications, followed by publications on survivors’ rights and
how to be an informed and knowledgeable health care consumer.
If this is an urgent media request, please contact NCCS Communications and Marketing Manager Kara Kenan at
kkenan@canceradvocacy.org.