The international award, to be given annually by the American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) and the Cancer Research Foundation of America, recognizes individuals anywhere in the world who have made seminal contributions in basic, translational, clinical, epidemiological or behavioral science investigations in cancer prevention research.
"We are thrilled that Dr. Michael Sporn is the inaugural winner of this prestigious award," said Margaret Foti, Ph.D., AACR's chief executive officer. "It's appropriate that this honor go to someone who has been the stalwart soldier for chemoprevention for decades. The field of cancer prevention is indebted to his dedication, commitment and hard work."
Said Dr. Sporn: "We need to think differently about cancer prevention, before people become sick. There is still tremendous resistance to the idea of telling people they have early changes in their cells that could some day lead to invasive cancer.
"The emphasis should be on suppressing carcinogenesis, the development of cancer, before it becomes evident as invasive or metastatic cancer. We need a whole educational mission to get people to think about cancer before they go to the doctor, for example, with a lump in their breast."
Dr. Sporn, the Oscar M. Cohn '34 Professor of Pharmacology and Medicine at Dartmouth Medical School, conducts research at the Norris Cotton Comprehensive Cancer Center. He is considered a visionary cancer researcher whose landmark investigations -- from molecular mechanistic studies to human interventions -- have established the conceptual framework for innovative approaches in cancer research, prevention and treatment.
Through both his groundbreaking research and in
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Contact: Warren Froelich
froelich@aacr.org
215-440-9300
American Association for Cancer Research
25-Sep-2002