An overview of research in cancer diagnosis.

The diagnostic research program of the National Cancer Institute encompasses detection or screening, methods of diagnosis, and prognosis. The present objective of this program is diagnosis of 75% of all cancers at a time when 90% of these have not metastasized. The Institute's Divison of Cancer Biology and Diagnosis has directed its attention toward general diagnostic methods (immunologic, chemical, cytologic, imaging, and endoscopic) and organ site programs (breast, lung, cervix, bowel, bladder, and pancreas). The organ site programs usually involve multiple diagnostic techniques applied to a specific organ. Screening for asymptomatic cancer seems an important immediate objective. Optimum frequency of screening should be established for individual organ sites and for combinations of sites, to determine whether multi-site screening programs can significantly reduce mortality from cancer.