ABSTRACT
Cancer was such a disappointing disease to treat that for a long time only a few physicians were interested in its study. The international conferences on cancer for physicians, surgeons and experimental researchers are organized. Through its very development process, the scientific fight against cancer made it necessary to review the position of public hospitals within the health system, so that they could be open to all classes. In France, the Ligue contre le Cancer denounced these practitioners in campaigns, presenting them as more dangerous than mere 'quack' doctors, and joined the chorus demanding the creation of a national Medical Association to regulate and control medical practice. In terms of the two major axes of cancer policies the scientific fight against cancer and the campaigns for early diagnosis support for Incurable' cancer patients appeared to be a secondary concern, leading to no special social policy, despite the efforts of the NGO movements.
