Mission
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 can prevent, detect, treat, and survive cancer.
Needs Statement
According to the latest American Cancer Society Cancer Facts & Figures, over 2 million new cancer cases are expected to be diagnosed in the US in 2025 and more than 618,000 people will die from the disease, the equivalent of about 1,700 deaths per day. The American Cancer Society estimates that 23,920 Connecticut residents will receive new cancer diagnoses this year, and cancer will take 6,760 Connecticut lives this year as well.
Cancer continues to be one of the most expensive medical conditions in the United States. The costs of cancer are estimated in several ways, including direct medical costs (total of all health care expenditures), as well as indirect costs, such as lost earnings due to missed work from illness or premature death. The National Cancer Institute estimated that cancer-related medical costs in the US were $208.9 billion in 2020, which was likely an underestimate because it did not account for the growing cost of treatment; for example, the list price for many prescription medicines is more than $100,000 annually. Cancer-related costs to patients are estimated at $21.1 billion, including $16.2 billion in total out-of-pocket costs and $4.9 billion in patient time costs (travel to/ from treatment and waiting for and receiving care).
Lack of health insurance coverage is strongly associated with medical financial hardship and prevents many people from receiving optimal cancer care across the continuum, from prevention to early detection and treatment. Despite reductions in the number of people under 65 years of age without health insurance – from 18% in 2010 to 10% in 2022 as a result of the implementation of the Affordable Care Act (ACA), 28 million people were still uninsured at some point in 2022 based on National Health Interview Survey estimates. The highest prevalence in 2021 was among Hispanic (34%), Native Hawaiian or other Pacific Islander (31%), American Indian or Alaska Native (29%), and Black (19%) individuals. Uninsured individuals and those from other marginalized populations are much more likely to be diagnosed with cancer at an advanced stage, when treatment is usually more involved, costlier, and less successful.
Importantly, medical financial hardship and lost income due to cancer diagnosis are not limited to those without health insurance, as insurance premiums and out-of-pocket costs have risen dramatically over the past decade. Many costs are not covered by insurance, and insured individuals often report difficulty paying medical bills, anxiety about treatment costs, and delayed or forgone medical care due to cost, especially those who are younger and/or low-income.
Logistical issues can also interfere with the ability to obtain cancer care, especially among individuals with limited income. For example, access to care is limited when patients cannot obtain daycare for their children, when they lack transportation to and from the health care provider and overnight accommodations, when they have other needs to prioritize (such as securing housing and food), and when they are unable to take time off from work because of a lack of paid or unpaid sick leave.
These challenges create multi-level barriers to care, preventing people from starting, continuing, or completing their recommended course of treatment. Some patients may delay treatment, settle for a less effective treatment, or forego treatment altogether. Left unaddressed, these challenges and barriers will result in increased cancer mortality and widening cancer disparities in the future. The American Cancer Society’s advocacy, research, and patient support work are invaluable services that improve equitable access to quality cancer treatment for all and improve the quality of life for people with cancer.
Impact Statement
In 2024, the American Cancer Society's programs and services touched over 140.5 million lives through our patient support, discovery, and advocacy work.
Patient support – We are available 24/7/365 through our National Cancer Information Center helpline (1-800-227-2345) and website (www.cancer.org) to help people find answers and resources, whether they want to understand their diagnosis and treatment options, learn how to cope with side effects, or find transportation or a place to stay when treatment is far from home. We provide information and support to the 351,000 people who call ACS and 60 million people who visit cancer.org each year. We provide more than 75,000 patients with over 950,000 free rides to treatment through our transportation programs. We connect patients to 31 Hope Lodge® facilities in the U.S. that provide free lodging to patients and caregivers who must travel for treatment – providing more than 36,000 patients with more than 547,000 nights of lodging.
Discovery – ACS launches innovative, high-impact research to find more – and better – treatments, uncover factors that may cause cancer, and improve quality of life for people with cancer. Since 1946, we have funded over $5.6 billion in research grants and have had a hand in almost every major research breakthrough, including: discovering a cure for childhood leukemia using combination chemotherapy; creating the pap smear to detect cervical cancer; and using the first successful bone marrow transplant to treat cancer. We conduct cancer research studies to help accelerate the pace of progress. We conduct equity-focused research to identify and understand issues related to cancer disparities to advance health equity among all communities.
Advocacy – Through our nonprofit, nonpartisan advocacy affiliate, the American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network (ACS CAN), we demand change from our elected officials at all levels of government to build healthier communities, create safer workplaces, and provide greater, more equitable access to quality medical care.
Thanks in large part to our decades of work, and with the support of our dedicated volunteers and donors, the U.S. cancer death rate has dropped by 34 percent from 1991 - 2022, resulting in 4.5 million lives saved. That means someone’s grandfather, someone’s child, someone’s best friend lived – 4.5 million grandparents, friends, and others in the last three decades. With your help, we can save more. ACS's goal is to reduce the nationwide cancer death rate by at least 50% over the next 25 years. ACS is working to achieve this goal through investments in research, improving equitable access to care, urging people to get screened, and working to reduce long-standing disparities in cancer prevention, diagnosis, and treatment outcomes. We are nation-wide in scope, but take tremendous pride in partnering with local hospitals, health systems, and Federally Qualified Health Systems (FQHC’s) across Connecticut to determine the needs and gaps in service in local cancer care, and then customizing our programs to help meet and fill these needs and gaps.
CEO statement
In September 2024, ACS CEO Dr. Karen E. Knudsen, announced her departure from the organization and her transition plans. Knudsen has agreed to stay on and serve as an Executive Strategic Advisor to support that transition through early 2025. In November, the ACS Board of Directors appointed Dr. Wayne A. I. Frederick as interim CEO for ACS.
Board Chair Statement
Terri McClements is a strategic board director and was most recently a senior partner at PwC, one of the largest global professional services firms, until her retirement in June 2023. She held various senior leadership positions over her 36-year career, including serving on PwC’s US board, vice chair and human capital leader, mid-Atlantic managing partner, and numerous other leadership roles. Most recently Terri led PwC’s diversity, equity, and inclusion consulting practice, partner candidate leadership development program, and the core healthcare provider sector. Terri began her work with the American Cancer Society as a volunteer participant and fundraiser with Relay For Life in the 1990s. She has served on the ACS Board of Directors since 2019 and serves as chair of the Human Capital Committee.
| Areas Served |
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| Statewide |
| National |
Areas Served Narrative
The American Cancer Society serves the general public and those with cancer nationwide, especially in every community in Connecticut.
