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| Why Joe Biden's call for a 'moonshot to cure cancer' may not be far-fetched | Why Joe Biden's call for a 'moonshot to cure cancer' may not be far-fetched |
| (about 4 hours later) | |
| It was one of the more dramatic moments of Barack Obama’s final State of the Union address: the president turned to Joe Biden to appoint the vice-president to lead an effort to cure cancer “once and for all”. | It was one of the more dramatic moments of Barack Obama’s final State of the Union address: the president turned to Joe Biden to appoint the vice-president to lead an effort to cure cancer “once and for all”. |
| The exchange made for one of the most buzzed about highlights of the speech, the promise of a “moonshot” goal so lofty it almost appeared quixotic. But leading US cancer researchers and doctors say they have very real hopes for the pledge. They describe the state of research around one of the world’s leading causes of death as a golden age, and expect that more funding could lead to many additional breakthroughs. | The exchange made for one of the most buzzed about highlights of the speech, the promise of a “moonshot” goal so lofty it almost appeared quixotic. But leading US cancer researchers and doctors say they have very real hopes for the pledge. They describe the state of research around one of the world’s leading causes of death as a golden age, and expect that more funding could lead to many additional breakthroughs. |
| “This is truly a historic moment in the history of cancer,” said Dr Ronald DePinho, the president of the MD Anderson Cancer Center in Texas. | “This is truly a historic moment in the history of cancer,” said Dr Ronald DePinho, the president of the MD Anderson Cancer Center in Texas. |
| DePinho, who met with Biden in Texas last year, said the space race metaphor was apt. “We have a line of sight to make a decisive assault on the problem,” he said. | DePinho, who met with Biden in Texas last year, said the space race metaphor was apt. “We have a line of sight to make a decisive assault on the problem,” he said. |
| Doctors said that recent advances in data-analysis, research and technology served as examples for what the new White House program could help achieve. | Doctors said that recent advances in data-analysis, research and technology served as examples for what the new White House program could help achieve. |
| “This recognizes what many people in our field have been sensing over the past few years,” said Dr William Nelson, the director of the Johns Hopkins Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center. “We’re getting better and better and the number of tools we’re getting are increasing.” | “This recognizes what many people in our field have been sensing over the past few years,” said Dr William Nelson, the director of the Johns Hopkins Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center. “We’re getting better and better and the number of tools we’re getting are increasing.” |
| Nelson joined others in pointing to breakthroughs in immunotherapy, a newer treatment that uses the body’s immune system to combat tumors, as a source of great hope. Overall, cancer death rates decreased by about 1.8% for men, and 1.4% for women, per year between 2002 and 2011, according to the National Cancer Institute. | Nelson joined others in pointing to breakthroughs in immunotherapy, a newer treatment that uses the body’s immune system to combat tumors, as a source of great hope. Overall, cancer death rates decreased by about 1.8% for men, and 1.4% for women, per year between 2002 and 2011, according to the National Cancer Institute. |
| For many, an emphasis on prevention was important. “A lot of what I read about is cures and breakthroughs for cures,” said Dr Elizabeth Platz, a cancer researcher and professor of epidemiology at Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. “But what we know from a public health perspective is that the best thing we can do is prevent cancer in the first case.” | For many, an emphasis on prevention was important. “A lot of what I read about is cures and breakthroughs for cures,” said Dr Elizabeth Platz, a cancer researcher and professor of epidemiology at Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. “But what we know from a public health perspective is that the best thing we can do is prevent cancer in the first case.” |
| Platz pointed to research and information campaigns about the dangers of smoking for example, or that HPV can cause cervical cancer. “You will be shocked at how the steep decline of lung cancer mortality has been directly attributable to Surgeon General’s report” in 1964, she said. | |
| Still, funding has lagged in recent years. | Still, funding has lagged in recent years. |
| Though the National Cancer Institute will receive a $264m increase in federal funding this year – an influx that Biden helped secure in December’s spending bill – researchers and policy advocates said that federal funding for medical research had fallen short for many years before that. | Though the National Cancer Institute will receive a $264m increase in federal funding this year – an influx that Biden helped secure in December’s spending bill – researchers and policy advocates said that federal funding for medical research had fallen short for many years before that. |
| “We’ve been suffering,” said Dr Robert B Diasio, the director of the Mayo Clinic Cancer Center. “It’s been very tough for many cancer investigators to carry on their research.” | “We’ve been suffering,” said Dr Robert B Diasio, the director of the Mayo Clinic Cancer Center. “It’s been very tough for many cancer investigators to carry on their research.” |
| Funding for the National Institutes of Health, which includes the NCI, had decreased by 22% between 2003 and 2013 when measured against the increasing costs of research, according to 2015 study from the United Medical Group. In contrast, between 1998 and 2003, the NIH’s federal funding doubled, the study said. | Funding for the National Institutes of Health, which includes the NCI, had decreased by 22% between 2003 and 2013 when measured against the increasing costs of research, according to 2015 study from the United Medical Group. In contrast, between 1998 and 2003, the NIH’s federal funding doubled, the study said. |
| Medical experts suggested that the federal government could help cancer doctors and researchers by facilitating a more centralized source of the data about the illness. | Medical experts suggested that the federal government could help cancer doctors and researchers by facilitating a more centralized source of the data about the illness. |
| “One of the barriers is that kind of infrastructure to be able to let researchers and clinicians and doctors pool their data so all of us begin to learn from it,” said Dr Nikhil Wagle, a medical oncologist and researcher at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute in Boston who was part of a group that met with Biden’s staff last week. Others suggested that the White House work with the FDA to accelerate its drug approval process. | “One of the barriers is that kind of infrastructure to be able to let researchers and clinicians and doctors pool their data so all of us begin to learn from it,” said Dr Nikhil Wagle, a medical oncologist and researcher at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute in Boston who was part of a group that met with Biden’s staff last week. Others suggested that the White House work with the FDA to accelerate its drug approval process. |
| Though there was some speculation that Biden mouthed his surprise about the announcement during the speech, the vice-president worked behind the scenes on the issue in 2015, a year that his son, Joseph “Beau” Biden III, died from brain cancer at the age of 46. When he announced in October that he would not run for president, he called for a “moonshot in this country to cure cancer”. | Though there was some speculation that Biden mouthed his surprise about the announcement during the speech, the vice-president worked behind the scenes on the issue in 2015, a year that his son, Joseph “Beau” Biden III, died from brain cancer at the age of 46. When he announced in October that he would not run for president, he called for a “moonshot in this country to cure cancer”. |
| “It’s personal for me,” Biden said in a blog post published on Tuesday. He said he would work to increase the resources and funding to support cancer research, and “break down silos” to increase collaboration among those in the field. | “It’s personal for me,” Biden said in a blog post published on Tuesday. He said he would work to increase the resources and funding to support cancer research, and “break down silos” to increase collaboration among those in the field. |
| He took questions about the program on Twitter on Wednesday afternoon and launched a website to collect the stories of those affected by cancer. | He took questions about the program on Twitter on Wednesday afternoon and launched a website to collect the stories of those affected by cancer. |
| Researchers stressed that the program’s effectiveness could come down to a simple ingredient. | Researchers stressed that the program’s effectiveness could come down to a simple ingredient. |
| “We need to see the money flow out of Washington,” Diasio said. Into “where a lot of the cancer research is being done”. | “We need to see the money flow out of Washington,” Diasio said. Into “where a lot of the cancer research is being done”. |