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Deadliest cancers lag in research funding

Posted 9/8/2008

Some of the nation’s deadliest forms of cancer receive far less research funding than more high-profile types of cancer, leading some researchers to call for more parity in the allotment of research dollars. Pancreatic cancer is an example of this funding dilemma. While it is one of the nation’s top five cancer killers, pancreatic cancer receives just a fraction of the research dollars allocated to other forms of cancer.

“At the current level of funding, our government is not fighting a war on cancer, they’ve declared a squabble,” said Jordan Berlin, M.D., clinical director of the Gastrointestinal Oncology Program at Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center. “Pancreatic cancer is an example of a serious disease that is fatal in far too many cases, yet federal research dollars spent each year have not been sufficient to enable us to identify new therapies. More funding would help to encourage new investigators, develop new research and translate that into better treatments in the clinic.”

This disparity is part of a larger issue of reduced federal spending on cancer research. While one American dies from cancer every minute, the nation is in the midst of the longest sustained period of declining funding for cancer research. According to the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO), after adjusting for inflation, the National Institutes of Health budget is 13 percent lower than in 2003 and the National Cancer Institute’s budget is 12 percent lower than in 2004.

Friday, Sept. 5, three national TV networks – CBS, NBC and ABC – will broadcast “Stand Up To Cancer,” a star-studded live event designed to raise money for cancer research. Hollywood celebrities, athletes, musicians and journalists will host the special during which viewers can call in or go online with monetary pledges for cancer research. The hourlong show is slated to air at 7 p.m. CDT.

Sarah Katherine Herzog, a pancreatic cancer patient from Centerville, Tenn., says it’s time for Washington to target more funds for cancer research. “They need to be awakened about the need for more research funding, especially for things like pancreatic cancer. Why should this disease be one of the top killers? Why don’t we know more about it?” 

For more information about the event visit www.standuptocancertn.com.

The Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center is a National Cancer Institute Comprehensive Cancer Center, one of two centers in Tennessee and 41 in the country to earn this highest distinction. Its nearly 300 faculty members generate more than $140 million in annual federal research funding, ranking it among the top 10 centers in the country in competitive grant support, and its clinical program sees approximately 4,000 new cancer patients each year. Vanderbilt-Ingram, based in Nashville, Tenn., recently joined with 21 of the world’s leading centers in the National Comprehensive Cancer Network, a non-profit alliance dedicated to improving cancer care for patients everywhere. For more information, visit www.vicc.org.


Contact: Dagny Stuart, (615) 936-7245
dagny.stuart@vanderbilt.edu

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