The American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network (ACS CAN) recently supported a fiscal year 2016 spending bill markup from the Senate Appropriations Subcommittees on Labor, Health and Human Services and Education, which includes increases in cancer research spending.
“At a time when the country is poised to make tremendous advances in our understanding of the more than 200 diseases collectively known as cancer, significant year-over-year funding increases are paramount to our ability to maximize the potential for new discovery,” ACS CAN President Chris Hansen. “Thanks to past federal investment in cancer research, many cancers no longer carry a certain death sentence.”
The bill includes a $2 billion increase for the National Institutes of Health (NIH) for medical research funding. To continue to combat cancer, the bill specifically increases the National Cancer Institute (NCI) budget by $216 million and maintains the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) budget for cancer prevention.
“Everyone is #OneDegree from cancer, whether you or a relative, friend or coworker have been diagnosed,” Hansen said. “As part of our OneDegree campaign launched last year, ACS CAN volunteers continue to meet with their members of Congress to stress the critical importance of prioritizing progress for a disease that is expected to kill 595,000 Americans this year -- more than 1,600 today. As the FY 2017 budget process moves forward, on behalf of cancer patients, survivors and their loved ones, we urge Congress to find additional resources to prioritize cancer research and prevention.”
