AACR collaborates with Stand Up To Cancer for televised fundraiser

Recording artists, film and television stars, and other celebrities will appear on the fifth biennial Stand Up To Cancer televised fundraising special on Sept. 9.

The telecast — intended to raise money for cancer research — will be shown at 8 p.m. Eastern on major U.S. broadcast networks and several cable channels. It also will be streamed online.

Margaret Foti

The American Association for Cancer Research is the official scientific partner of Stand Up To Cancer.

“We work with the writers and producers to provide the viewing public with the most accurate and up-to-date scientific information,” Margaret Foti, PhD, MD (hc), the association’s CEO, told HemOnc Today. “The AACR is regarded as the authoritative resource in all subfields of cancer research, and we are honored to work with Stand Up To Cancer and the show producers to bring this information to the public in the most informative and useful way possible.”

Through its partnership, the AACR is responsible for administering grants and providing scientific oversight in collaboration with the Stand Up To Cancer Scientific Advisory Committee.

“Working with Stand Up To Cancer gives us the opportunity to impart a great deal of information while showing the personal and emotional side of cancer,” Foti said. “Tremendous progress is being made in cancer research and treatment in areas such as immunotherapy and precision medicine, among others. ... We want to communicate that message, as well as the fact that we still have enormous challenges ahead of us to markedly reduce cancer incidence and mortality.”

The telecast will include appearances by Ben Affleck, Marcia Cross, Ken Jeong, Anna Kendrick, Matthew McConaughey, Emma Stone, Eric Stonestreet and Alison Sweeney, as well as Stand Up To Cancer co-founder Katie Couric and executive producer Bradley Cooper.

The event will include performances from Celine Dion, Keith Urban and Little Big Town.