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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

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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