MeaiCchn Mews Ane Noceoes Progress Against Cancer (NAPSA)—Significant advancesagainst cancer have resulted in a steadily declining cancerdeath rate for Americansoverthe past 25 years, according to the seventh annual American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) CancerProgress Report. The 2017 report, which provides an overview of the latest advances in can- cer research, prevention and treatment, calls for robust government funding of biomedical research so that the research Wray REDUCTION IN U.S. CANCER f DEATH RATE ff community can continue to make prog- 2.1 million Ness CteNc10h ress against cancer. “This is an incredibly exciting time for the cancer community,” said Margaret Foti, Ph.D., M.D. (hc), chief execu- tive officer of the AACR. “Research has fueled advancesacross the continuum of cancer care that are saving lives around the world, and we have the scientific knowledge and capability to deliver morelifesaving progress in the future” According to the report, the US. cancer death rate declined by 25 percent between 1991 and 2014. The cancer death rate for children declined by 35 percent during the same time. Numerousfactors have contributed to improved survival, including earlier de- tection and many newtreatmentoptions. In the past year alone, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved nine new anticancer drugs. Also, it ex- panded approval of eight previously ap- proved drugs, allowing them to be used to treat additional types of cancer. Oneof the approvals was for a drug for patients with anytypeof solid tumor containing a certain biomarker or genetic feature. All previous approvals had been based on the location of cancer in the body. The drug, Keytruda (pem- brolizumab), is an immunotherapeutic that has brought significant benefit to many patients, including former U.S. PresidentJimmy Carter. AACRleaders cautioned that while new drug approvals and improving survival rates are signs of tremendous progress against cancer, there is still much work to be done. More than 600,920 people in the United States are Researchers have found new ways to combatcancer. shouldered disproportionately by cer- tain segmentsof the population, includ- ing racial and ethnic minorities, patients of lower socioeconomicstatus, residents of certain geographic locations, and the elderly. This gap, knownas a health dis- parity, is an area of growing research. To accelerate the pace of progress against cancer, the report calls for the United States government to support federal research funding for organizations including the National Institutes of Health (NIH), the National CancerInsti- tute (NCI) and the FDA.Specifically, the report asks Congress to increase the NIH budget by $2 billion to $36.2 billion in fiscal year 2018 and the FDA budget by $80 million to $2.8 billion. The Beau Biden Cancer Moonshot, an initiative launched by former Vice President Joe Biden with the guidance of numerous AACRleaders, must also receive support as it takes aim at reduc- ing the nation’s burden of cancer, the report said. “As research has taught us more about the biology of cancer, we have been able to make incredible advances in cancer prevention and treatmentthat are saving lives today,” said Michael A. Caligiuri, M.D., president of the AACR and chief executiveofficer of the Arthur projected to die from cancer in 2017, and the numberof new cases of cancer G. James Cancer Hospital and RichardJ. from 1.7 million in 2017 to 2.3 million transformational breakthroughs will require a strong federal commitmentto providing consistent, annual, above-inflation increases in the budgets for the in the United States is predicted to rise in 2030. “Cancer continues to exert an im- mense personal and economictoll,” the authors wrote, adding that the burdenis Solove Research Institute in Columbus, Ohio. “The opportunity to make more NIH, NCI and FDA”
