(Lack of) Federal Research Funding
When President Nixon and Congress declared War on Cancer 35 years ago, lung cancer was the leading cause of cancer death. It still is.
Federal cancer programs are primarily funded through three sources:
The National Cancer Institute (NCI), The Department of Defense (DoD),
and the Centers for Disease Control & Prevention (CDC).
The National Cancer Institute
NCI’s budget has grown over the past 35 years from $380 million a year to $4.8 billion a year in fiscal year 2007 (FY07) – an increase of 1,265% - and NCI has complete control over how to spend the money. Even though lung cancer causes one in every three cancer deaths, lung cancer research received less than 5% of NCI’s budget in FY07.
The Department of Defense
In 1992, Congress started funding cancer research at DoD with a specific line-item for a breast cancer research program, and later added prostate cancer research and other diseases. Through FY07, DoD has spent $2.07 billion on breast cancer research and $810 million on prostate cancer research. Lung Cancer has never had a DoD line-item research program and will receive $0 in the DOD FY07 budget.
LUNG CANCER ALLIANCE ANNOUNCES ADDITIONAL $12.8 MILLION
IN FEDERAL RESEARCH FUNDING FOR LUNG CANCER
Brings total to date to $47.8 million. Funding approved in FY2011 budget compromise via the
Department of Defense Lung Cancer Research Program. Read more here.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
Congress also earmarks funding within CDC for specific cancers. The CDC budget for FY07 included $201 million for breast and cervical cancer initiatives, $13.9 million for prostate cancer and $14.4 million for colon cancer. CDC budget for FY07 included $0 for lung cancer initiatives.
Five Year Survival Rates, 2007
Breast Cancer, 87%
Prostate Cancer, 99%
Lung Cancer, 15%
Source: Lung Cancer Alliance, Washington, D.C.
***Updated for 2009*** Total Research Funding per Death ***Updated for 2009***
A disturbing trend.
On a related note: The Tobacco Settlement money is not going toward lung cancer research. Over the next 25 years, the Master Settlement Agreement will pay $246 Billion to the 50 States (and the District of Columbia). In 1999, a unanimous federal resolution passed stating the commitment "to spending a significant portion of the tobacco settlement funds on smoking cessation programs, health care, education, and programs benefiting children." Sadly, none of this money has been dedicated to lung cancer research and only 0.65% is earmarked for federal research into tobacco and other substance abuse.
(Total research funding per death in 2007 for HIV / AIDS was $203, 029.)