RJ Reynolds
American Cancer Society. Annual Report. 1976 (760000).
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- Kick the Habit with Action News, by Larvick S, Wmbd. The Biology of Cancer, by Vario P, Valley News. The Anti-Social Cell, by Harpers Magazine. Colostomy - A Necessary Nuisance, by Loretta Bacon, Wsfa. Standards of Accounting and Financial Reporting for V
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r
Executive
Vice President's Report
Each year more and more Amcricans are aware of
the American Cancer Society, believe in what we are
doing, and generously contribute their time and
money. This support has made us one of the largest
and certainly among the best of volunteer health
agencies. And, that is as it should be because we are
fighting America's most devastating health problem.
But, pre-eminence has the inevitable disadvantage
of making us a convenient target for criticism.
We expect to have criticism, and we would be
surprised if there were none. Since we don't
equivocate about cancer, it is understandable that
promoters of unproven methods of cancer treatment
would seek to discredit the Society. The only sure
way to turn off strident critics is to stop working
responsibly in the cancer field.
A recent criticism of the ACS is that we maintain
excessive reserves. This misinterpretation is under-
standable because our fiscal operation is unlike
most non-profit organizations.
It has been our policy from the beginning not to
commit funds we don't have in hand. Money
contributed during the April Crusade is budgeted
for the fiscal year beginning September Ist. In our
judgment it is good management to budget only
when we know the amount available.
This policy has served us well. It has made
possible careful and comprehensive planning. It has
also meant that we have been able to maintain
continuity of program so important to the research
investigator.
Most voluntary organizations operate differently.
They spend money as they raise it. Accordingly, our
prudent approach is not suited to the common
accounting format used by health and welfare
agencies. Our balance sheet should show a "current
fund balance" at the end of every fiscal year equal to
at least one year's income. This money is not with-
held from the support of program activities but is put
to work in the fiscal year which begins the next day.
We continue to seek methods to assure more
prompt and effective utilization of funds. For
example, in the past, it has been our policy to permit
our Divisions to maintain a contingency reserve, up
to 10 percent of the proceeds of their most recent
Crusade. In February 1977 our Board of Directors
eliminated this reserve provision. We will now try,
insofar as is feasible, to eliminate unassigned fund
balances at the end of each fiscal year.
A second criticism of the ACS is that our "over-
head" is far too high because so large a share of what
we spend goes for salaries.
In fact, the biggest single category of cost in many
organizations is the payments they make to peoplc.
This is true of a voluntary health agency, a symphony
orchestra, a university or a research institute. That
we spend a high percentage of our budget for salaries
does not mean we have a high overhead.
Wc have 2,900 full-titne employees including
physicians, nurses, writers, educators, rehabilita-
tion therapists, statisticians, managers and scientists
-to direct and support the work of 2.5 million
volunteers, a ratio of almost 900 to one. That means
we can do things money can't buy. The ACS is a.
national organization of volunteers who are eager
to do something about cancer.
The following charts reflect the utilization of
the cancer dollar for fiscal 1976. The figures to
remember arc these: we spent 11.5% of our income
for fund raising and 9.6% for administration. Two of
the charts graphically portray this. The third chart
shows that 78.9% of the funds were available for
program activities.
HOW
1975 INCOME
WASSPENT
IN 1976*
Research
Patient Services
wmmuntiy aervices
Available for Budget
and Special Project Additions
Professional Education I I Public Education
Our financial soundness is a source of gr_eat----
strength in the fight against cancer. With reasonable
assurance of continued funding, scientists can be
more resourceful and imaginative in planning
research projects and educators and social workers
-less restricted in developing and implementing
cancer control programs. This is why we shall en-
deavor to maintain the fiscal health of the American
Cancer Society and work with dedication. And, we
will do all this because it is in the best interests of
the cancer patient.
LANE W. ADAMS
Executive Vice President
*Percentabes relate to spending 1975 income dollars in fiscal
year 1975-1976 and vary slightly f rom those on page 20.
~
0
0
0
S7~
~
0
v
Ln

used for 1976-1977 programs of research, education,
service and related supporting activities covered
by approved budgets. Amounts budgeted for special
projects by the Boards of Directors are not
expendable in the ensuing budget year but are ear-
marked for program development over a period
not to exceed three years.
5 Current Donor Restricted Funds
Current Donor Restricted Funds were restricted
by contributors for the following purposes:
Research $1,729,656
Other programs 2,653,022
Use in specific geographic
locations
2,958,027
$7,340,705
6 Lease agreements
The Society's ]ease agreements for office space
expire on various dates through December 31, 1985,
with aggregate minimum annual rentals as follows:
Year ended August 31:
1977 $2,782,223
1978 2,227,767
1979 1,649,278
1980 1,276,993
1981 1,014,906
1982-1986 2,785,100
7 Funds designated by Board of Directors
for research support
Under the terms of agreements with 21 educational
and medical institutions, the Society is obligated
to pay the annual stipends of 21 career professor-
ships in cancer research, each of which terminates
upon the retirement of the approved investigator.
Under certain of these contracts the Society has been
required to appropriate and deposit with a Trustee
$1,061,153 as performance bonds.
As of August 31,1976, the estimated aggregate con-
tingent liability over the terms of the 21 active
contracts, was approximately $8,855,000, exclusive
of the liability for fiscal 1977 stipends which has been
recorded in the accompanying financial statements.
In addition, the Board of Directors has designated
legacies in the amount of $2,000,000 to make possible
the prompt exploration of unusually promising
discoveries in cancer research. These funds are kept
in temporary investments, the income from which
is allocated to support the research program.
8 Research, professional education
and medical project awards payable
The Society's awards for research, professional
education and medical projects, other than career
professorships d iscussed in Note 7, are generally
for terms of one to five years. Awards and grants
outstanding as of August 31,1976, are payable
as follows:
Year ended August 31:
1977 $27,306,003
1978 1,363,496
1979 1,017,201
1980 ~ 492,487
1981 115,009
$30,294,196
9 Related party transactions
The Society has adopted a policy whereby
Board members are disqualified from voting with
respect to any Board action affecting their affiliated
organizations. Included among the Society's Board
members and officers are volunteers from the
banking community, who provide valuable assis-
tance in the development of policies and programs.
Approximately 42% of cash and temporary cash
investments were maintained at August 31,1976,
in banks with whom Board members were affiliated.
Awards and grants are approved by the Boards of
Directors, after peer review to establish scientific
priorities for funding. In 1976, such awards included
approximately $26,000,000 to individuals or insti-
t,utions with which Board members from the medical
and scientific community were affiliated.
' ® Prior year financial statements
i The amounts shown for 1975 in the accom-
panying financial statements are presented in
accordance with the format recommended by the
American Institute of Certified Public Accountants.
This fipancial information is included to provide
a basis for comparison with 1976 and, other than for
the balance sheet, presents summarized totals only.
I
26

.L. reasure.L s
Repo.E. V
The Society is pleased to report once again that our
total revenue, fi-otn a1l sources, has reachcd record
heights. The Ggure.s speak for themsclves and they
are presented on the following pages. Significantly,
this is the seventh conSecutive year in which the
American Cancer Society has presented combined
financial statements with an unqualified opinion
from our independent auditors.
These two facts are significant in and of them-
selves; however, without the dedicated participation
of nearly 2.5 million volunteers the Society would
not be in a position to report record revenues, nor
to exercise prudent and eflicient stewardship over
the funds entrusted to it.
Not only do ACS volunteers conduct our
service, education and fund raising programs, but
they also play a vital role in the financial adminis-
tration of the Society. To illustrate thee importance
of this role, often taken for granted or overlooked,
here is what occurs at our National Headquarters.
The Finance Committee, charged with setting and
administering the Society's overall financial stand-
ards and policies, is composed of eleven volunteer
Auditors'
Report
To THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS OF
AMERICAN CANCER SOCIETY, INC.:
We have examined the combined balance sheet of
the American Cancer Society, Inc., National Head-
quarters and Chartered Divisions as of August 31,
1976, and the related statements of (a) support,
revenue and expenses and changes in fund balances
and (b) functional expenses for the year then ended.
Our examination was made in accordance with
generally accepted auditing standards, and accord-
ingly included such tests of the accounting records
and such other auditing procedures as we considered
necessary in the circumstances. We have previously
examined and reported on the financial statements
for the preceding year.
In our opinion, the accompanying combined
financial statements present fairly the financial
position of the American Cancer Society, Inc.,
V
members from the medical and lay leadership, and
meets a minimum of four times a year. This
Committee considers the plans of the Program
Departments in financial terms, program thrust, and
in relation to overall Society objectives. One of these
mectings includes extensive review of the annual
budget. In addition, the Finance Committee has two
sub-canmittees, the Audit Committee, made up of
six volunteers; and the Pension and Endowment
Review Committee, which has five volunteers.
Furthermore, this process takes place in much
ihe same fashion in each and every one of our
fifty-eight Divisions throughout the country. It is this
direct involvement of volunteers-their commitment
of time and experience-working with our dedicated
staff that makes the Society work-and I think
it works very well.
=
9"
JOHN S. LAWSON,
Treasurer
National Headquarters and Chartered Divisions, as
of August 31, 1976, and the results of their operations
and changes in fund balances for the year then ended,
in conformity with generally accepted accounting
principles applied on a basis consistent with that of
the preceding year. Also, in our opinion, the sum-
marized financial information for 1975 presented
for cornparative purposes (see Note 10), presents
fairly the information set forth therein.
New York, N.Y.
January 6, 1977.
ARTHUR ANDERSEN & 00.
21

r
Research
The Society awarded a record number of basic
research grants in 1976, and welcomed to its staff
Dr. Frank J. Rauscher, Jr., former director of the
National Cancer Institute.
Dr. Rauscher comes to the Society wi th a thorough
knowledge of cancer, an unusually clear perspective,
and an ability to coordinate many diverse efforts
without losing sight of central goals.
After five years at the helm of the $700 million
government cancer program, he assumes the ACS
position of Senior Vice President for Research.
The annual ACS investment in research has grown
to over $32 million-more than 30 times what it was
in 1946 and a 17 percent jump over the 1975 figure.
In 1976, the Society issued 542 grants to 149 major
institutions in this country, and to scientists working
here and abroad.
ACS grants are awarded only after careful screen-
ing of applicants by scientific review committees, yet
they give the researcher a maximum of flexibility
in pursuing his work.
Report from Dr. Rauscher
The American Cancer Society holds a very special
position in cancer research: It has the freedom and
flexibility of a private organization and the strength
of broad volunteer support at every level.
The Society can concentrate or diversify its
efforts, follow through as well as change direction-
in short, it can adapt to meet the most pressing
current needs in cancer research.
ACS grants are directed toward individually
developed programs and those areas of research that
other kinds of awards normally do not reach.
First, it is most important for the innovative
cancer investigator to have in the ACS an alternative
source of funds to that of the Federal government.
Second, the Society specializes in grants for the
advanced training of cancer experts, as well as the
development of cancer teaching programs in major
institutions.
This emphasis on expanding knowledge gives
many promising young scientists the boost they need.
This is what yields results and saves lives.
There has been real progress-in learning about
cancer, in developing ways to detect it sooner and in
finding more effective and longer-lasting treatments.
But cancer is a single term for the most complex
group of diseases man has ever sought to control.
This is no mean challenge, and it will take a great deal
of faith, patience, support and effort.
There are many fronts on which progress can
come. One of the most promising is the area of cell
structure and the body's immune defense system.
We now know, for example, that cancer"informa-
A6~0
A greatly rnagni fied human lymphoid cell (top), and an ACS
researcher at work in his laboratory.
- tion"occurs in virtually all human cells. It is usually
suppressed, but may be activated by exposure to
irradiation, viruses or chemicals.
This is very important because it may lead to a
~common denominator in the 100 forms of cancer
known today. If we can find out how such a
mechanism works, we could at one fell swoop
prevent most cancers.
Finally we must keep a global view of cancer.
More than at any time in history, information is being
exchanged that will help determine why a particular
cancer is high in one country and low in another.
We hope that in time, this will lead to the reduction
of cancer throughout the world to the lowest
possible levels.
5

Worldwide Fight
.Against Cancer :
"We have assumed a tnorc dominant international
roleincancercotttrol than ever before," Dr. Benjamin
F. Byrd, Jr., declared in recapping his completed
term as ACS President.
The year began with the Society's first Post-
graduate Course in Cancer held in two cities of one
country-Cairo and Alexandria, Egypt-and ended
%vith the establishment of the Society's first inter-
national fellowship in clinical oncology.
In April, an international symposium on detec-
tion ar,d prevention of cancer brought over 2,000
physicians from many countries to New York City.
The Biennial meeting of the Council of the Inter-
national Union Against Cancer in Toronto in May
approved a number of new projects in public and
professional education which involve ACS program
planning and leadership.
In June, a delegation of volunteer and staff officers
were the guests of the Ministry of Health of the
USSR, visiting a dozen medical and health education
institutes in Moscow, Kiev and Leningrad. It was the
first such official invitation to a voluntary health
agency in the United States. The Ministry of I-Iealth
paid all expenses within the Soviet Union, and a
generous grant from the Coca Cola Company
supported transportation. Dr. Byrd, who led the
delegation, said: "We have been able to carry the
message of freedom of research around the world,
and promote cancer education among physicians, as
well as share our public education techniques."
This mission emphasized again that the Society's
international cancer exchange is definitely a two-way
street. Current studies of cancer risk patterns among
the varied population groups of the Soviet Union
will yield invaluable data in assessing our own.
The high point came at year's end with the estab-
lishment of the Audrey Meyer Mars International
Fellowship in Clinical Oncology. The award will
provide a year of advanced training in clinical cancer
management in a top cancer institute of the United
States for a physician or surgeon from a country
where such training opportunities are limited.
Supported by Mrs. Mars, it will be a tribute to the
dynamic leadership she has given to the Society's
Committee to Advance the Worldwide Fight Against
Cancer, and to her personal dedication and efforts
towards establishing programs of cancer control in
many countries of the world.
12
!~; calp-M §P24 . ."14,
American Cancer Society poster used in elementary school
program on smoking and health.
I
The commitment and action generated by the
1975 World Conference on Smoking and Health con-
tinued through 1976, culminating in TARGET 5-a
forceful, five-year ACS campaign to substantially
reduce smoking and eliminate harmful ingredients
in cigarette smoke.
Today, cigarette smoke is responsible for more
deaths from cancer than any other single agent,
including 80 percent of the 85,000 lung cancer deaths
in 1976.
TARGET 5 has three main goals:
1. To reduce the number of adults who smoke by
at least 25 percent, or 12.5 million smokers.
2. To reduce smoking among young people by at
co
.L-

~
American Cancer Society, Inc.
National Headqw-uters and Chaxtered Divisions
Combined Stoai,ernent of Fun,ctional ETenses
For the Year Ended August 31, 1976 with Comparative Totals for 1978
Piograin Scrvicrs
Rescanch
Supporting Scrvicet
Mana~cment
Public Professional Patient Cortunur.ity ,t Fund
Education Education
Services
xn icis r,eneral
Ralcfnj
Awards and grants $29,358,975 $ 149,621 $ 4,400,073 ; 167,938 S 3,055,761 $ - $ -
Salaries 1,416,594 8,995,657 3,354,190 4,691,935 3,789,753 5,556,826 6,780,121
Employee benefits
(Note 1)
Payroll taxes
Professional fees
Supplies
Telephone
Postage and shipping
Occupancy (Note 6)
Printing, publications,
films, etc.
Meetings, including
related travel
Other travel
Specific assistance to
203,948 1,133,861 440,899 596,509 486,695
79,368 623,947 228,964 336,560 265,845
68,881 108,006 24,662 42,724 96,283
72,268 465,387 154,537 228,670 180,023
43,769 610,891 193,014 342,898 220,762
61,029 729,299 262,010 313,710 221,303
179,066 1,321,136 489,585 718,974 461,551
24,921 2,190,466 1,274,498 263,614 244,767
303,815 711,230 684,485 265,664 337,948
153,803 806,709 277,872 385,361 346,081
individuals - - - 5,926,826 196,166
Miscellaneous
21,684 258,028 64,348 61,606 107,658
740,857 793,303
393,304 466,447
991,809 192,796
I--
321,390 457,291
299,684 502,702
308,458 735,566
1,083,218 867,395
287,726
687,104
399,997
286,124
Total expenses before
depreciation and
amortization 31,988,121 18,104,238 11,849,137 14,342,989 10,010,596 11,356,497 13,814,699
Depreciation and
amortization (Note 1) 92,379 338,315 123,119 182,306 128,729
Total expenses $32,080,500 $18,442,553 $11,972,256 $14,525,295 $10,139,325 $11,635,220 $14,025,665
1976
3,370,432
2,120,876
1,507,733
,
1,979,652
2,006,616
2,314,679
4,408,635
5,940,002
3,744,813
$112,820,814 ~100,961,273
The accompanring notes to combined f nancial statements are an integral part of this statement.

TODAY AND TOMORROW
3,000,000 Americans are alive
who have had cancer. -
Our commitment to TODAY
is the quality of survival...
in better treatment and rehabilitation
reaching cancer patients wherever
they are.
Our hope for TOMORROW
is to seek to find ways to cure
and prevent cancer. . .
it is exemplified in our increasing
support of research investigation.
TODAY and TOMORROW shape the framework
of our programs ... the support comes
from the volunteers who help make
it all happen.
t
,~

M
t~ ~
Adult donor (inset) and child are blood-typed.
Blood Donor
The Society responded this past year to a crucial
need for expanding blood donor programs by launch-
ing a nationwide effort among ACS volunteers.
In February of 1976, the National Board of Di-
rectors began examining the problem to determine
the most effective approach. In May, a work-study
group met to draw up guidelines based on the success
of some ACS Divisions which have been operating
blood programs for years.
Now Divisions across the country are organizing
volunteer donor campaigns. Their goal is to provide
cancerpatients with all the blood they need at greatly
reduced cost.
The importance of blood to cancer patients is
linked to today's sophisticated methods of treat-
ment. Leukemia and other blood-related cancers are
being successfully controlled. Part of this success
depends on an adequate blood supply.
Chemotherapy-the use of anticancer drugs-is
perhaps the most promising weapon against cancer
today, but it can damage normal blood cells as welll
as cancer cells. Whole blood or blood components
must be replaced.
"Blood," says ACS President R. Lee Clark, M.D.,
"has become the most vital commodity in cancer
therapy."
8
The goal of the nationwide program is to make
blood and blood components readily available and
less costly to cancer patients. And volunteer blood
donors also help to achieve a further goal: improving
the quality of donated blood. Donors who are not
paid have no reason to conceal histories of diseases
that might still affect their blood.
In Colorado, where cancer patients use a third of
the state's blood supply, the Society has recruited
8,000 volunteer donors. It also has set up a volunteer-
operated telephone communications center to handle
arrangements. The program costs only $3,000 a year,
and has saved patients $250,000 in just two years.
Individual savings have ranged as high as $2,000.
In Florida, a blood program sponsored jointly by
the Society and the University of Florida Inter-
fraternity Council can assist a cancer patient any-
where in the state. Within five minutes of a request
for blood, a donor is located and the patient's
hospital contacted.
- A Texas program also is getting under way,
following pilot blood projects in five areas of the
state during 1976. Four mobile blood units are being
purchased to facilitate both the collection of blood
in outlying parts of the large state, and the prompt
processing of the blood for cancer purposes.
M

Mammography:
Detecting Breast
Cancer Early
Women with breast cancers detected early by
mammography are achieving five-year survival rates
as high as 95 percent, compared with only 45-50
percent for more advanced cases.
The Society, together with the National Cancer
Institute, continued in 1976 to make these valuable
low-dose X-rays available to women through the 27
ACS-NCI Breast Cancer Detection Demonstration
Projects across the country.
The guidelines recommend annual mammograms
for all women over the age of 50, because the benefits
clearly outweigh any minimal X-ray risk.
For women between the ages of 35 and 50, mam-
mography is recommended for women who are at
higher-than-normal risk of developing breast cancer,
because they have:
o chronic cystic mastitis, with or without pain
o lumps and thickenings in the breast
D nipple discharge or other nipple abnormalities
D a personal history of breast cancer
o a family history of breast cancer on the maternal
or paternal side
D a f amily history of breast cancer in sisters
10
-
Somewhat less serious risk factors include:
D early onset of menstruation
D no history of pregnancy
o first full-term pregnancy at age 30 or older
These are only general guidelines, and women who have more than one, or who are uncertain as to
their risk level, should consult their doctor on the
advisability of mammography.
Physicians report that about 80 percent of women
between 35 and 50 have one or more of the above risk
factors. In the ACS-NCI Breast Cancer Detection
Demonstration Projects, 233 breast cancers already
have been discovered in women under 50 years of age.
Qne hundred of them were detected by mammogra-
phy alone.
The women under 50 who have no breast problem
should still be taught the proper technique of breast
self-examination, and urged to perform it regularly
each month.
. Since breast cancer remains the number one
cause of cancer deaths among American women, the
Society is constantly seeking the diagnostic tools and
treatments which vield the greatest benefit for the
least risk.

XOTES TO V OMMXiV! E.1Q1
Jl~'C .~.X~ARML"L /5TA.iLoZb=D=
AU.°.~'UST 31 ~ 1976
Accounting policies
Standards of accounting and financial reporting
As a member of the National Health Council, the
Society follows the "Standards of Accounting and
Financial Reporting for Voluntary Health and
Welfare Organizations" (Revised 1974). These
standards are in conformity with the recommenda-
tions of the American Institute of Certified Public
Accountants.
Land, building and equipment and depreciation
Land, building and equipment are capitalized at cost
or, if donated, at the fair market value at date of
receipt. Depreciation is computed using the straight-
line method over the estimated useful lives of the
assets (buildings-20 to 40 years; office furniture
and other fixed assets-2 to 10 years ).
Donated materials and services
A substantial number of volunteers have donated
significant amounts of their time in the Society's
program services and in its fund raising campaigns.
However, since no objective basis exists for record-
ing and assigning values to their services, they are not
reflected in the accompanying financial statements.
Similarly, the value of space and time contributed
by various media for Society educational and fund
raising advertisements is not subject to control or
measurement and has not been recorded. Donated
materials and equipment are reflected as contribu-
tions at their estimated fair market value at date
of receipt.
Principles of combination
The accompanying combined financial statements
include the accounts of the National Headquarters
of the Society, which is a New York not-for-profit
corporation, and its 58 Chartered Divisions which
are separately incorporated under the laws of the
various states and Puerto Rico. All significant intra-
Society accounts and transactions have been
eliminated in preparation of the combined financial
statements.
Pension plan
The Society has a noncontributory pension plan
which covers substantially all employees. Monthly
payments are made to the plan trustees in accordance
with the Society's policy of funding accrued pension
costs. Prior service costs are amortized over the
average future service lives of active covered
employees. At September 30, 1976, the date of the
latest actuarial review, pension fund assets were
in excess of the actuarially computed value of vested
benefits. Pension expense for the years ended '
August 31, 1976 and 1975, was $3,217,306 and
$2,110,516, respectively.
Out standing legacies
The Society is the beneficiary under various wills
and trust agreements, the total realizable amounts
of which are not presently determinable. The
Society's share of such bequests is recorded when
the Society has an irrevocable right to the bequest
and the proceeds are measurable.
P0 Tax status
The Society is a-nonprofit voluntary health
agency, exempt from income tax under Section
501(c)(3 ) of the U.S. Internal Revenue Code, and
contributions to the Society qualify for the 50 per
cent charitable contributions limitation. The Society
has been classified as an organization that is not
a private foundation and has been designated as a
"publicly supported" organization.
3 Allocation of public support
Support received from the public by the
Divisions is shared with the National Headquarters.
In accordance with National policy, which is re-
viewed and approved annually by the Board of
Directors, 40% of gross contributions, exclusive of
approved special purpose gif ts, is allocated to sup-
port the National research program and other
program activities-for research (25% ), medical
grants and fellowships (3 %) and other programs
(12% ). Unrestricted legacy income allocated to
National (40% ) is used principally in support of
the research program.
4 Available funds and budgets
To provide continuity of programs and to
permit effective budgeting, substantially all activities
are financed by public support received during the
previous fiscal year. Accordingly, a substantial
portion of the available Current Unrestricted Funds
reflected in the accompanying balance sheet will be
25
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