WASHINGTON, D.C. December 11, 2013 The bipartisan budget conference proposal for FY14 provides Congress with the opportunity to restore some funding critical for cancer research and prevention programs that have suffered significant budget cuts because of sequestration.
The sequester 's more than $1.5 billion cut to the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and $250 million cut to the National Cancer Institute (NCI) has compromised our ability as a nation to leverage past progress in biomedical research and jeopardized future discovery, forcing researchers to limit the scope of their projects, close their labs and in some cases leave the field altogether. Restoring funding will restore hope for cancer patients who are counting on clinical trials for new therapies and treatments where existing options have been ineffective.
As more than 80 percent of the NIH budget is spent at research institutions across the country, restored federal investment in research would help to reignite economic activity in communities nationwide.
Additional funding for proven cancer prevention and early detection programs offered through the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is also important after the sequester reducedæ by 32,000 the number of lifesaving breast and colorectal cancer screenings screenings that could detect cancer earlier when patient outcomes are better and the disease is less expensive to treat.
Sustained and robust funding for medical research and prevention is imperative to eliminating death and suffering from cancer, which will kill an estimated 580,000 people in America this year. Cancer patients, survivors and their families call on Congress to prioritize the fight to defeat cancer by restoring funding for cancer research and prevention programs at the NIH, NCI and CDC.
ACS CAN, the nonprofit, nonpartisan advocacy affiliate of the American Cancer Society, supports evidence-based policy and legislative solutions designed to eliminate cancer as a major health problem. ACS CAN works to encourage elected officials and candidates to make cancer a top national priority. ACS CAN gives ordinary people extraordinary power to fight cancer with the training and tools they need to make their voices heard. For more information, visit www.fightcancer.org.
FOR MORE INFORMATION, CONTACT:
Alissa Crispino or Steven Weiss
American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network
Phone: (202) 661-5772 or (202) 661-5711
Email: [email protected] or [email protected]
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