AACR in the News: Cancer Disparities Progress Report and OMB Statement

August 12, 2026 by

A central element of the American Association for Cancer Research (AACR)’s mission is raising public awareness about the importance of cancer research. AACR does this in many ways, including through this blog, through its scientific and patient-facing publications, and through outreach to the media.

With “AACR in the News,” Cancer Research Catalyst highlights the science and policy issues that AACR helped elevate to national news. In this edition, we look at the media’s coverage of the AACR Cancer Disparities Progress Report 2026 and a proposal from the White House Office of Management and Budget (OMB) that would impact federal grantmaking.

Raising Awareness About Cancer Disparities

A variety of national and local news outlets have highlighted AACR initiatives and experts in recent weeks, with the AACR Cancer Disparities Progress Report 2026 receiving particularly robust media coverage. First published in 2020, this biennial report highlights the progress being made against cancer disparities while also raising awareness of the disproportionate toll that cancer continues to exact on racial and ethnic minority groups and other medically underserved populations, including sexual and gender minorities and residents of rural areas and persistent-poverty regions.

News stories about the AACR Cancer Disparities Progress Report 2026 focused on many different aspects of the report’s findings.

ABC News zeroed in on disparities related to cervical cancer incidence and mortality. Women living in poverty were found to be 23% more likely to develop cervical cancer and 49% more likely to die from the disease compared with those in higher-income areas. “The disparities in this situation arise from an access to care issue,” Paul DiSilvestro, MD, of Women and Infants Hospital in Providence, Rhode Island, told ABC News. “I think we often don’t understand the pressure on women as it relates to screening. Sometimes you have to make a choice between going to work, caring for your children, putting food on the table, and getting a screening test.”

Janaylon Wright, one of the cancer survivors featured in the AACR Cancer Disparities Progress Report 2026, being interviewed on “Positively Philly.”

NBC News wrote about how even though the U.S. cancer death rate is declining, this progress has not been seen equally across the country. One potential reason why: Screening rates for certain cancers are lower among non-white populations. In 2023, 67% of white people were up to date on their colonoscopies compared with 53% of Hispanic people and 57% of Asian and American Indian/Alaska Native people. Additionally, the Hispanic population was found to have the largest increase in early-onset colorectal cancer. “A lot of people are under the misconception that they don’t need to get a colonoscopy until their mid-40s, but it happened to me at 38,” Alex Valdez, a colorectal cancer survivor featured in the report, told NBC News. Cervical cancer screening rates also differ by racial or ethnic group, as the report found that Asian and Hispanic women had consistently lower screening rates compared with white women.

NPR examined how federal policy changes are impacting cancer health disparities research. Out of the 122 researchers in this field who were surveyed for this report, 93% said changes by this administration have affected their work, 78% said they were unable to apply for funding, and 59% said ongoing research projects were disrupted. “Many medical trials were stopped in the middle—meaning those patients suddenly didn’t receive the treatments they were getting, because the funding stopped,” Mariana Stern, PhD, of the Keck School of Medicine of the University of Southern California and chair of the report’s steering committee, told NPR.

This year’s report also included 10 compelling personal stories from cancer survivors and advocates of various backgrounds, underscoring the real-world impact of ongoing efforts to achieve health equity. Many of these individuals shared their stories with the media.

Mikey Shock spoke with the Chicago NBC affiliate about her experience with Hodgkin lymphoma. “Trans people need culturally competent care and to be heard and to be seen, not only within the health care organizations and within health care practices, but in general. We are human beings, and we deserve to be treated with respect and care,” Shock said.

Janaylon Wright, a Philadelphia resident who was diagnosed with stage 3 colon cancer at only 29 years old, shared her story with CBS News Philadelphia, Philly Voice, and the Philadelphia NPR affiliate WHYY. She also recently appeared on the Philadelphia-area morning show “Positively Philly.” “If it wasn’t for me being as persistent and my family being as persistent as we were, I probably would not be standing here right now,” Wright told CBS News Philadelphia.

News station KOB 4 in Albuquerque, New Mexico, spoke with the parents of Sebas Casaus Natale, a young boy with an ultrarare cancer called myoepithelial carcinoma. “Nobody had ever heard of it. Nobody had ever treated it before and we were left with very few options in terms of treatment,” said Sebas’ mother, Naomi Natale.

Advocating for Merit-based Research Funding

Another key priority for AACR this summer has been responding to the OMB’s proposed changes to how federal grants are awarded and managed. These changes would increase administrative complexity, create uncertainty for grant recipients, reduce transparency in funding decisions, and undermine the merit-based processes that have effectively guided federal research investments for many years.

Scientific American included the AACR’s statement in an article about scientists’ reactions to OMB’s proposal.

Utilizing various communication channels, AACR informed cancer researchers and the broader public about the potential impact of these changes and encouraged them to speak up in defense of scientific and medical research. In addition to direct appeals to members and a blog post explaining the real-world implications of the proposed rule, AACR issued a media statement that was covered in Forbes and Scientific American.

The Scientific American piece quoted several Nobel laureates, including physicist Wolfgang Ketterle of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology who said this proposal would “destroy the leadership of the U.S. in fundamental science,” along with statements from several advocacy groups and scientific associations like AACR. The article concluded with a portion from AACR’s statement:

“For decades, the framework that supports America’s scientific research enterprise through agencies such as NIH and the National Cancer Institute has fueled transformative discoveries in cancer prevention, detection, treatment, and survivorship. This established system has reduced the U.S. cancer death rate by 35% since 1991, resulting in more than 4.8 million U.S. lives saved. This progress has been made possible because of research funding decisions guided by the rigorous review of grant applications by scientific experts and their assessment of these grants to improve public health—NOT guided by political and ideological considerations.”

By raising awareness about this pressing issue, AACR helped mobilize opposition to the proposed rule. Tens of thousands of comments decrying the changes were filed in response.

Increasing Trust in Science Through the Media

AACR is committed to providing evidence-based information about cancer research and related topics. Engaging with the media to support accurate reporting about cancer is one way the organization works to help improve the public’s trust in science. More information about AACR’s media relations efforts is available in the AACR newsroom.