On Aug. 5, 1937, the National Cancer Institute (NCI) Act, P.L. 244, 75th U.S. Congress, was signed by President Franklin D. Roosevelt “To provide for, foster, and aid in coordinating research relating to cancer; to establish the National Cancer Institute; and for other purposes.” An appropriation of $700,000 for each fiscal year was authorized.

The act established the NCI and made it the federal government’s principal agency for conducting research and training on the cause, diagnosis, and treatment of cancer. It also called upon the NCI to assist and promote similar research at other public and private institutions.

Congress made the NCI an operating division of the National Institutes of Health by the Public Health Service Act on Jul. 1, 1944, and Congress amended the Public Health Service Act with the National Cancer Act in 1971 that broaden the scope and responsibilities of the NCI “in order more effectively to carry out the national effort against cancer.”