By David Pugach
Aug. 5, 2010

The bill that funds the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and National Cancer Institute (NCI) is currently being considered in Congress. NIH and NCI funding supports research across the country on ways to better prevent, detect, and treat cancer.

Americans recognize the importance of federal support for cancer research regardless of the economic climate. Nearly nine in ten respondents (89 percent) to a national nonpartisan poll of households with a history of cancer, think it is important that the President and Congress increase funding for cancer research and related programs. The survey, commissioned by the American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network, also found that support for federal cancer research funding is high regardless of party affiliation, with 85 percent of Republicans, 87 percent of independents, and 96 percent of Democrats polled responding favorably. It is clear that Democrats and Republicans can and should support this research funding.

This overwhelming support – from both sides of the aisle - is a result of several factors. Past research investments have yielded tremendous dividends, with more than 11 million cancer survivors in the United States serving as living proof. Further, two-thirds of cancer patients today survive at least five years after diagnosis, compared to just half of patients forty years ago. However, much work remains. This year, an estimated 1.5 million people in America will hear the dreaded words “you have cancer” and more than 569,000 will die from this disease. We are still in desperate need of better early detection tools and treatments for all cancers, especially for those cancers that remain most lethal.

Lastly, it is worth noting that cancer costs the U.S. economy more than $220 billion a year. Cancer incidence is projected to nearly double by 2020, particularly among the baby boomer population. As these rates climb so too will the cost to our economy. Today’s investments in cancer research are the key to addressing tomorrow’s public health and economic crises.