AACR Applauds NCI’s Release of a Comprehensive National Cancer Plan

NCI’s National Cancer Plan provides an updated roadmap to end cancer as we know it

PHILADELPHIA – The American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) commends the release of the National Cancer Institute’s (NCI) National Cancer Plan. The plan outlines goals that the nation must achieve to prevent cancer, reduce mortality from cancer, and maximize quality of life for people living with cancer. It also provides a set of strategies to accomplish each goal.

“NCI’s National Cancer Plan specifies what is required to achieve the objectives associated with the reignited Cancer Moonshot, most specifically, the goals to reduce cancer mortality by at least 50% over the next 25 years and to improve the experience of people living with and surviving cancer, their families, and caregivers,” said Lisa M. Coussens, PhD, FAACR, FAIO, President of the AACR and deputy director for Basic & Translational Research, Knight Cancer Institute. “However, if we are to succeed in achieving these goals—including realizing the promise of new approaches to preventing and treating cancer—Congress must prioritize investments in cancer research, primarily through NCI.”

The current circumstances on Capitol Hill are creating a challenging funding outlook for the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and NCI for fiscal year (FY) 2024. Republican lawmakers in the House have stated that they will not approve a debt ceiling increase without major cuts to spending programs, and House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-California) is expressing support for his colleagues’ plan to cap federal discretionary spending at the FY 2022 levels. This plan would severely weaken NIH and NCI during a time of great promise and abundant opportunity to change the future for the millions of Americans who are touched by cancer and other diseases. 

“I strongly agree with and support NCI’s position that ‘research is the backbone of the National Cancer Plan.’ Breakthroughs in cancer prevention, early detection, screening, diagnosis, and treatment are the result of decades of research and discoveries made by scientists in a wide array of disciplines,” said Margaret Foti, PhD, MD (hc), chief executive officer of the AACR. “This underscores just how important it is for all of us to let our leaders in Congress know that their support for generous research funding is markedly improving public health and saving lives from cancer, while also spurring economic growth and maintaining the United States’ position as the global leader in science and medical research.”