On May 22, 1913, The American Society for the Control of Cancer was created at a meeting of ten doctors and five laymen. The American Cancer Society’s founders knew they had to raise public awareness about cancer if progress was to be made against this disease.

Despite the enormity of their task, their founders and their colleagues began writing articles for popular magazines and professional journals; publishing Campaign Notes, a monthly bulletin of cancer information; and recruiting doctors throughout the country to help educate the public.

It was in these early years that the American Cancer Society first used its now-iconic Sword of Hope symbol, which is still part of the organization’s logo today. The sword icon came from a 1928 nationwide poster contest sponsored by the ACS and the New York City Cancer Committee. George E. Durant of Brooklyn won the contest, receiving a first prize of $500. He selected the sword to express the crusading spirit of the cancer control movement. The twin-serpent caduceus, which forms the handle of the sword, emphasizes the medical and scientific nature of the American Cancer Society’s work. Classically, twined serpents represent healing of the sick and creativity of the healthy.

The mission of the ASCC is to Improve the lives of people with cancer and their families through advocacy, research, and patient support, to ensure everyone has an opportunity to prevent, detect, treat, and survive cancer.

The American Cancer Society is proud to have contributed to the work that has resulted in a 33% drop in the overall cancer death rate in the United States. That drop equates to 3.8 million fewer cancer deaths between 1991 and 2023.