The National Cancer Institute (NCI) is the U.S. federal government’s principal agency for cancer research and training and is part of the National Institutes of Health (NIH). Its mission is to lead, support, and coordinate research to prevent cancer, improve detection and diagnosis, advance effective treatments, and reduce the burden of cancer for patients and populations.
NCI funds a broad portfolio of extramural research grants and conducts intramural research across cancer biology, epidemiology, prevention, therapeutics, and survivorship. It supports the NCI-Designated Cancer Centers program, oversees national clinical trials networks, and operates key data and surveillance resources such as the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) Program. NCI also sponsors the Frederick National Laboratory for Cancer Research, advances genomics and biomarker initiatives, and promotes data standards and sharing to accelerate translation from laboratory discoveries to clinical practice. The institute collaborates with academia, healthcare systems, governments, and industry stakeholders, and provides evidence-based resources to researchers, clinicians, and patients.