Cancer Advocates Urge Lawmakers to Make Cancer-Specific Research and Prevention a National Priority

WASHINGTON, DC June 8, 2015 Volunteer advocates from the American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network (ACS CAN) will join cancer patients, survivors, caregivers, physicians, and researchers from 20 other organizations in Washington, DC, this week to urge lawmakers to support funding for critical cancer research and prevention programs at the National Cancer Institute (NCI), National Institutes of Health (NIH), U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and other federal agencies. A total of 150 advocates from 35 states and more than 80 congressional districts are uniting as part of the One Voice Against Cancer (OVAC) lobby day.

The fight to eliminate death and suffering from cancer a disease that kills 1,600 people each day in America should be a top national priority for Congress, said Christopher W. Hansen, president of ACS CAN. Past investment has greatly improved our understanding of the causes of many types of cancer, but to truly leverage this knowledge and convert it into targeted detection tests and treatments there must be a national commitment to robust and sustained investment in cancer research.

Now in its 16th year, the OVAC Lobby Day will take place June 8-9 with 155 scheduled meetings with Members of Congress and their staff.

Advocates will be calling on Congress to provide $5.4 billion for the NCI, end the decline of cancer 's share of the NIH budget and support cancer prevention, screening programs and cancer registries in every state by increasing funding for the CDC.

The OVAC lobby day is just the latest effort by ACS CAN volunteers to urge lawmakers to increase funding for cancer research, as we are all just one degree from someone with cancer a relative, a friend, a coworker or have been diagnosed ourselves. ACS CAN and Stand Up to Cancer launched the #OneDegree Campaign in March to ask lawmakers to share their one degree and pledge to increase federal funding for cancer research by $1 billion over two years

According to the American Cancer Society, it is estimated that this year more than 1.6 million people in America will be diagnosed with cancer and more than 589,000 people will die from the disease. Federal funding for medical research and cancer prevention programs has resulted in 1.5 million more deaths avoided that would have occurred from the disease per day than in 1991.

The federal government through its investment in basic research has allowed for every major advancement in the fight against cancer to date, Hansen said. We 've learned how to more effectively reduce our cancer risk or prevent it altogether. But our work is far from over and sustained federal investment in cancer research and prevention is critical to ensure the next breakthroughs reach those who need them now.

ACS CAN joins the following health care groups participating in this year 's lobby day: Action to Cure Kidney Cancer, American Academy of Dermatology Association, American College of Surgeons, Commission on Cancer, American Society for Radiation Oncology, American Society of Clinical Oncology, Fight Colorectal Cancer, Hematology/Oncology Pharmacy Association, LIVESTRONG Foundation, Men's Health Network, National Brain Tumor Society, National Patient Advocate Foundation, Oncology Nursing Society, Ovarian Cancer National Alliance, Pancreatic Cancer Action Network, Prevent Cancer Foundation, Susan G. Komen, The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society, The Life Raft Group and The MPN Research Foundation.

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.

One Voice Against Cancer (OVAC), a coalition of 49 national and community-based organizations, collectively represents millions of Americans since it was founded in 2000. OVAC represents researchers, physicians, patients and families, and many others people working together to make funding for cancer research and prevention programs a national priority. For more information visit: www.ovaconline.org.

FOR MORE INFORMATION, CONTACT:

Alissa Crispino or Steven Weiss

American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network

Phone: 202-661-5772 or 202-661-5711

E-mail: [email protected] or [email protected]