The Nation’s Top Doctors Issue Unprecedented National Call to Action on Cancer Prevention and Survivorship

Goals and strategies provide roadmap for private sector, policymakers, and all Americans to take decisive action in making cancer prevention and survivorship a national priority

WASHINGTON, D.C. – July 23, 2008 – Today four former United States Surgeons General stood with the Lance Armstrong Foundation, Canyon Ranch Institute, and numerous other collaborators to issue a National Call to Action on Cancer Prevention and Survivorship from the nation’s capital. Cancer is a public health crisis that carries an unsustainable societal and economic burden, costing our economy over $400 billion a year. More than 1.4 million Americans will be diagnosed with cancer this year, and at least half of those new cases can be prevented or detected earlier when they are most treatable. At the request of Lance Armstrong Foundation Chairman and Founder Lance Armstrong, former U.S. Surgeons General Richard H. Carmona, David Satcher, Joycelyn Elders, and Antonia Novello collaborated with the cancer prevention and survivorship community to develop the National Call to Action.

Dr. Carmona said, “This National Call to Action on Cancer Prevention and Survivorship is a battle plan to meet specific national goals to improve cancer prevention, recommended screening, early detection, treatment and survivorship. This National Call to Action will ultimately save lives, save money and improve the lives of the 12 million cancer survivors across our nation. We are calling today on all sectors of society from business to elected leaders to voters to take action and make cancer a national priority.”

“With cancer soon to be the #1 killer in America, there is no better time than now for a national call to action in the war against cancer,” said Armstrong. “I am proud to stand before you today with the nation’s top doctors to urge all Americans to join us in the fight against cancer. My foundation is answering this call beginning tomorrow at the LIVESTRONG™ Summit, where we are empowering 1,000 delegates from all 50 states and around the world at The Ohio State University with the knowledge and training they need to champion the cause in their communities.”

In issuing the National Call to Action, Armstrong was joined by collaborators from across the United States, and the four doctors who led the development of the National Call to Action: Richard H. Carmona, M.D., M.P.H., 17th U.S. Surgeon General (2002-2006); David Satcher, M.D., Ph.D., 16th U.S. Surgeon General (1998-2002); Joycelyn Elders, M.D., M.S., 15th U.S. Surgeon General (1993-1994); and Antonia C. Novello, M.D., M.P.H., Dr.Ph., 14th U.S. Surgeon General (1990-1993).

The four goals of the National Call to Action are:

• Empower Healthy Lifestyles to Prevent Cancer
• Apply What We Know About Cancer Screening and Early Detection to All People
• Ensure That All People Can Navigate Through the Health Care System
• Provide Survivorship Care Plans and Systems of Support for All Cancer Survivors

To read the complete National Call to Action on Cancer Prevention and Survivorship, visit www.NCTAcancer.org.

The National Call to Action on Cancer Prevention and Survivorship is made possible by a joint collaboration between the Lance Armstrong Foundation and Canyon Ranch Institute.

About the Lance Armstrong Foundation
The Lance Armstrong Foundation (LAF) unites people to fight cancer, believing that unity is strength, knowledge is power and attitude is everything. We provide the practical information and tools people battling cancer need to live life on their own terms. We take aim at the gap between what is known and what is done to prevent death and suffering due to cancer. We engage the public at large to pursue an agenda focused on preventing cancer, ensuring access to screening and care, improving the quality of life for people affected by cancer, and investing in needed research. Founded in 1997 by cancer survivor and champion cyclist Lance Armstrong, the LAF is located in Austin, Texas. UNITE at LIVESTRONG.org. LIVESTRONG is a registered trademark of the Lance Armstrong

About Canyon Ranch Institute
Canyon Ranch Institute (CRI) is a non-profit organization that catalyzes the possibility of optimal health for all people by translating the best practices of Canyon Ranch and our partners to help educate, inspire, and empower every person to prevent disease and embrace a life of wellness. Canyon Ranch Institute and our partners believe in the power and possibility of a healthy world. More information about CRI is available at www.canyonranchinstitute.org.