The National Cancer Institute (NCI) is part of the United States Federal government's National Institutes of Health. The NCI is a federally funded research and development center, one of eight agencies that compose the Public Health Service in the United States Department of Health and Human Services. As of September 2006, the current director of the NCI is Dr. John E. Niederhuber. The NCI coordinates the National Cancer Program.

The National Cancer Institute has large intramural research programs in Bethesda, Maryland and blank">NCI-Frederick at _Fort Detrick, in Frederick, Maryland. In addition, the NCI funds cancer researchers around the United States.