Cancer Research Funding Cuts Limited; Prevention Program Cuts Damaging
WASHINGTON, D.C. – April 14, 2011 – Congress is scheduled to vote on a spending bill for the remainder of FY 2011 today that includes a limited reduction in federal funding for cancer research but potentially significant cuts to proven prevention and cancer screening programs at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Following is a statement from Christopher W. Hansen, president of the American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network (ACS CAN):
“Families touched by cancer are relieved that Congress rejected far deeper cuts to cancer research funding that would have jeopardized promising scientific advances in the research pipeline. With 1,500 people in America dying every day from cancer, sustained funding for cancer research is critical to the development of new screening tools and treatments for the deadliest cancers.
“Unfortunately, the bill also includes a staggering 11 percent cut to the CDC that will reduce its budget below 2006 levels. These severe cuts could reduce the number of women who can access lifesaving breast and cervical cancer screenings by as much as 40,000 and eliminate access to colorectal cancer screenings for low-income and underserved individuals. These cuts undermine our ability to eliminate needless death and suffering from cancer in this country.
“Sixty percent of cancer deaths could be prevented by applying what we already know. Cuts to the CDC will reduce access to lifesaving cancer screenings and thwart our efforts to reduce tobacco use and combat obesity, known causes of cancer deaths.
“We call on lawmakers to make proven prevention a higher priority in the future and to sustain funding for cancer research in a way that collectively supports our efforts to conquer a disease that will touch 1 out of 2 men and 1 out of 3 women in their lifetimes.”
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 Havens or Steven Weiss
American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network
Phone: (202) 661-5772 or (202) 661-5711
Email: [email protected] or [email protected]
