About National Cancer Institute designation
The signing of the landmark National Cancer Act in 1971 was instrumental in broadening the establishment of multiple new cancer centers designated by the National Cancer Institute (NCI) to conduct cancer research and training. Over the next four years, the federal government would pass new legislation that would expand this Cancer Centers Program across the country in order to “permit an estimated 80 percent of the U.S. population access within a reasonable driving distance” to one of these centers.
VCU Massey Cancer Center is proud to be your local NCI-designated cancer center. Massey is the only NCI-designated center in the Richmond region and one of just two in Virginia that helps lead and shape America's cancer research efforts. Of the 1,500 cancer centers in the U.S., only 71 have earned an NCI designation, placing Massey in the top 4 percent nationwide. This designation makes us eligible for federal funding, information-sharing and resources reserved for the most elite institutions that demonstrate superior research capabilities. Massey received a planning grant from the NCI in 1974 to establish a cancer center at VCU and was awarded NCI designation in 1975. We have retained that prestigious designation ever since.