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Gabrielle Emanuel, WBUR

President Richard Nixon signs the National Cancer Act on December 23, 1971.

The War on Cancer at 50: The Origin Story Begins With a Socialite Citizen-Lobbyist

By Gabrielle Emanuel, WBUR January 6, 2022 KFF Health News Original

After the National Cancer Act became law 50 years ago, cancer went from shameful taboo to one of the best-funded areas of medicine. Much of the credit for this transformation goes to one woman, Mary Lasker.

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