WASHINGTON – In the 40 years since the National Cancer Act was signed into law by President Richard M. Nixon, much progress has been made in the so-called war on cancer, but without a significant increase in funding, the nation will lose ground, said cancer researchers at a briefing on Sept. 20.
The American Association for Cancer Research issued an 84-page progress report that it said showed the tremendous advances that have been made since 1971. The report was also characterized as a call to action in the face of declining federal support.
"Today, more than any time in history, cancer researchers are maximizing the impact of the fundamental discoveries made over the past 40 years and translating them into improved patient care," said AACR Immediate Past President Elizabeth H. Blackburn, Ph.D. "Sustained funding increases for the [National Institutes of Health] and [National Cancer Institute] are an urgent national priority that will improve the health of Americans and strengthen America’s innovation and economy," she said.
This is especially important as the nation ages, said Dr. Blackburn at the briefing. Cancer is expected to surpass heart disease as the nation’s leading killer. Currently, 60% of cancers occur in the 13% of the population that is over age 65. Some 1.5 million Americans are diagnosed with cancer each year, and there are more than 500,000 deaths.
By 2030, Americans age 65 or older will comprise more than 20% of the population and account for 70% of the cancers, said Dr. Blackburn.
According to the AACR report, appropriations for the NIH and NCI have been essentially flat since 2003, when Congress doubled the NIH budget. The AACR is seeking annual increases of 5% above the biomedical inflation rate. That is a tall order at a time when Congress is locked in a fierce battle to cut $1 trillion to $3 trillion in spending from the federal budget over the next decade.
Several speakers at the AACR briefing said that putting money into cancer research would add to the nation’s wealth. "Cancer research is a smart investment that will allow researchers to capitalize on progress, create jobs and grow our economy and bolster our global competitiveness," said Dr. Judy E. Garber, president of the AACR and director of the Cancer Genetics and Prevention Program at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston.
Citing a report by Battelle, the AACR said that the $3.8 billion spent on the Human Genome Project from 1988 to 2003 created a $796 billion positive for the U.S. economy.
The decoding of the genome has led, so far, to the discovery of more than 290 genes related to the cause of cancer, according to the AACR. It has also helped researchers develop diagnostics and therapies, in particular ones that target specific mutations. These discoveries are opening the door to a future of personalized medicine.
In that future, physicians will be able to "understand the nuance of every patient and tailor-make their therapy," said Dr. William S. Dalton, co-chair of the AACR report and president, CEO and director of the H. Lee Moffitt Cancer Center and Research Institute, Tampa, Fla. "Now is not the time to lose momentum," said Dr. Dalton.
The report also cites progress in attacking tobacco, radiation exposure, environmental carcinogens and infectious agents – which contribute to the 50% of cancers that are considered to be preventable. Screening and early detection of certain cancers has also been a success story. The report noted that 5-year survival rates for cervical, breast, and prostate cancers are over 90%.
New chemotherapies have led to major increases in survival and some cures for childhood acute lymphoblastic leukemia, Hodgkin’s disease, aggressive lymphomas, and testicular cancer.
The AACR speakers said that the progress report gave reason to be hopeful. But some cancers – notably pancreatic, brain, ovarian, and lung, among others – are still major killers, said Dr. Garber, who again emphasized the need for more funding. "Unfortunately, with each passing day our ability to capitalize on the nation’s long-standing investment in cancer research seems to elude us as a result to flat to declining spending," she said.
The progress report can be viewed at www.aacr.org.