The governance of science at the National Cancer Institute: a perspective on misperceptions.

The National Cancer Program, because of its size, has always been and remains controversial. Some of these controversies have their roots in insupportable myths attending the passage of the Cancer Act in 1971 and the Institute's management of a rapidly changing program, rather than the science it supported. The National Cancer Institute has changed its management systems to improve the governance of science allowing for continual scrutiny, adjustment, and/or phase out of programs that have served their purpose. This is necessary to husband scarce research dollars in support of the plethora of opportunities presented by the powerful new knowledge derived from the current biological revolution.