William G. Cance MD is a transformative physician executive and Key Opinion Leader with a proven track record of strategic, operational, and scientific accomplishments. Most of his career has been in leadership roles at NCI-designated comprehensive cancer centers. He is a strong collaborator with diverse stakeholders to influence, define, and execute visionary cancer care and cancer research. Dr. Cance maintained an active clinical practice in surgical oncology/endocrine surgery for 25+ years. He is a successful physician-scientist with continuous peer-reviewed funding for 25+ years from the National Institute of Health, conducting pioneering work on cancer diagnosis and treatment.
The American Cancer Society named Dr. Cance chief medical and scientific officer in 2019. He has guided the research program through a restructuring that included enhancing the cancer cohort studies at the ACS through the embrace of genomic technologies and the launch of significant programs in health equity through the support of minority-serving institutions. Before joining the Society, he was deputy director and interim director of the University of Arizona Cancer Center, where he led the integration of the university’s Tucson- and Phoenix-based research programs. Dr. Cance was also the Finley & Florence Brown Professor of Cancer Research at the University of Arizona; Professor, Interdisciplinary Oncology and Professor, Surgery at the University of Arizona College of Medicine-Phoenix. He was chair of the Arizona Cancer Coalition for the Arizona Department of Health Services, during which he focused on promoting programs that addressed cancer disparities in underserved populations.
Dr. Cance is a practicing surgical oncologist. His areas of expertise include thyroid cancer, parathyroid disease, and advanced gastrointestinal malignancies. He was the principal investigator for a 25-year National Cancer Institute (NCI) R01 grant focused on focal adhesion kinase, a protein involved in cancer metastasis. He has received additional grant funding from the NCI and the US Department of Defense. He holds eight patents and has been involved in several entrepreneurial projects to bring his research advancements to commercialization.
Dr. Cance earned undergraduate and medical degrees from Duke University. He completed a residency in general surgery at Barnes-Jewish Hospital/Washington University School of Medicine and a fellowship in surgical oncology at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center.
