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Facts You Need to Know about the Future of Cancer Research Funding
 The Growing Cancer Burden
Today, lifetime cancer risk in the United States is 1 in 2 for men and 1 in 3 for women, with approximately 1.44 million new cases of cancer expected to be diagnosed in 2007 alone. Cancer still accounts for 1 in 4 deaths, with more than 559,650 people expected to die from their cancer in 2007. Age is a major risk factor—this nation faces a cancer care crisis as the baby boomer generation begins reaching age 65 in 2011. Right now, three-quarters of all cancers are diagnosed in individuals aged 55 and over. In 2005, 11.7 million cancer survivors were living in the United States. As the population ages, this number is expected to climb to an estimated 18.2 million cancer survivors by 2020.
A renewed commitment to progress in cancer research through leadership and resources is essential to substantially advance efforts to prevent and treat cancer.
What you should know:
- NIH and NCI research has yielded significant results that have benefited patients
- The absolute number of cancer deaths in the United States has declined despite the growth and aging of our population
- Congress passed a funding resolution which provided a $620 million increase for the NIH. However, this increase did not keep up with biomedical inflation
- We need to capitalize on the opportunities for advancing the science of cancer now
- The US needs a renewed commitment to strong, sustained federal funding of biomedical research and, in particular, cancer research
- We urge Congress to support:
- $30.8 billion in funding for NIH, a 6.7% increase over FY 2007,
- $5.1 billion in funding for NCI, which reflects a 6.7% increase over FY 2007
- A 6.7 percent increase is needed in each of the next 3 years to get NIH back to FY 2003 levels
What you can do:
Write to your House representative or Senate representative and encourage them to make sure cancer research funding is part of the 2008 Presidential Debates. Click here to download a sample letter to send to Congress.
Other resources you can visit to learn more:
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