WASHINGTON, D.C. – The American Association for Cancer Research issued an urgent call for immediate action to stem the global tide of tobacco-related death and suffering and to improve public health in a comprehensive policy statement on tobacco and cancer published today in Cancer Research, a journal of the American Association for Cancer Research.

The AACR also is submitting written testimony to the House Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on Health when it convenes tomorrow to discuss the dangers of smokeless tobacco. The AACR applauds Subcommittee Chairman Frank Pallone’s (D-NJ) leadership in holding this hearing on smokeless tobacco, which can be a gateway to lifelong tobacco addiction and is known to cause cancer.

The Congressional subcommittee will meet at 10:00 a.m. in room 2123 of the Rayburn Office Building.

“The AACR is proud to release this important document as Congress prepares to hold a hearing on the use of chewing tobacco by young people and the health problems it causes,” said Margaret Foti, Ph.D., M.D. (h.c.), chief executive officer of the AACR. “Our organization stands ready to provide policy makers with the scientific information that is required to address this terrible problem.”

“Tobacco use is the leading preventable cause of premature death and is responsible for nearly a third of all cancer deaths,” said chairperson of the AACR Task Force on Tobacco and Cancer, Roy S. Herbst, M.D., Ph.D., of The University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center. “The AACR statement on tobacco provides a roadmap for eliminating the burden of tobacco use and attendant disease by implementing evidence-based policies, advancing science and communicating scientific breakthroughs to the public, funders and regulators.” The AACR Task Force on Tobacco and Cancer developed the policy statement.

A panel of experts, including members of the AACR task force on Tobacco and Cancer, will discuss the AACR policy statement in detail next week at the AACR 101st Annual Meeting 2010 during a policy session entitled “Integrating Science and Policy to Combat the Global Tobacco Epidemic.” The session will take place on Tuesday, April 20, from 4:00 p.m. – 5:30 p.m. in room 201 at the Walter E. Washington Convention Center in Washington, D.C.

To view the AACR's policy statement on smokeless tobacco, follow this link: http://cancerres.aacrjournals.org/cgi/rapidpdf/0008-5472.CAN-10-1087v1.pdf

Download interviews with cancer researchers and recordings of the teleconferences by subscribing to the AACR Scientific Podcasts via iTunes (http://www.aacr.org/itunes) or an RSS Reader (http://www.aacr.org/rss).

The mission of the American Association for Cancer Research is to prevent and cure cancer. Founded in 1907, the AACR is the world’s oldest and largest professional organization dedicated to advancing cancer research. The membership includes 31,000 basic, translational and clinical researchers; health care professionals; and cancer survivors and advocates in the United States and more than 90 other countries. The AACR marshals the full spectrum of expertise from the cancer community to accelerate progress in the prevention, diagnosis and treatment of cancer through high-quality scientific and educational programs. It funds innovative, meritorious research grants, research fellowship and career development awards. The AACR Annual Meeting attracts more than 17,000 participants who share the latest discoveries and developments in the field. Special conferences throughout the year present novel data across a wide variety of topics in cancer research, treatment and patient care. The AACR publishes six major peer-reviewed journals: Cancer Research; Clinical Cancer Research; Molecular Cancer Therapeutics; Molecular Cancer Research; Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers & Prevention; and Cancer Prevention Research. The AACR also publishes CR, a magazine for cancer survivors and their families, patient advocates, physicians and scientists. CR provides a forum for sharing essential, evidence-based information and perspectives on progress in cancer research, survivorship and advocacy.

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Cancer Research