On Feb. 2, President Biden announced via a press release that the Cancer Moonshot is being reignited with renewed White House leadership. In 2016, as Vice President, Joe Biden launched the Cancer Moonshot with the mission to accelerate the rate of progress against cancer.
The release states that “Because of recent progress in cancer therapeutics, diagnostics, and patient-driven care, as well as the scientific advances and public health lessons of the COVID-19 pandemic, it’s now possible to set ambitious goals: to reduce the death rate from cancer by at least 50 percent over the next 25 years, and improve the experience of people and their families living with and surviving cancer— and, by doing this and more, end cancer as we know it today.”
Further, “The President and First Lady Jill Biden are also announcing a call to action on cancer screening to jumpstart progress on screenings that were missed as a result of the pandemic, and help ensure that everyone in the United States equitably benefits from the tools we have to prevent, detect, and diagnose cancer.”
New goals for the Caner Moonshot include:
- Cutting today’s age-adjusted death rate from cancer by at least 50 percent
- Improving the experience of individuals and their families living with and surviving cancer
The release also says that there is a lot that can be done, including diagnosing cancer sooner; preventing cancer; addressing inequities; targeting the right treatments to the right patients; speeding progress against the most deadly and rare cancers (including childhood cancers); supporting patients; caregivers; survivors; and learning from all patients.
Additionally, the release explains that the Biden-Harris administration will mobilize the entire government not only by re-establishing White House leadership and issuing a call to cancer screening and early detection, but also forming a “Cancer Cabinet;” hosting a White House Cancer Moonshot Summit; building on a White House Cancer Roundtable Conversation Series; and requiring an all-hands on deck approach.
Howard A. “Skip” Burris III, M.D., board chair of the association for clinical oncology (ASCO), made the following statement regarding the reignition of the Cancer Moonshot:
"The Association for Clinical Oncology (ASCO) applauds President Biden for his decision to relaunch the Cancer Moonshot with ambitious and worthy goals of reducing the death rate from cancer and improving the experience of patients and families living with cancer.
"We’ve already seen how much progress can be made when the weight of the Administration and Congress joins experienced and dedicated oncologists, cancer researchers, and the patient community in our important work against cancer. Since the Beau Biden Cancer Moonshot was announced in 2016, the National Cancer Institute has provided more than $1 billion to more than 240 research projects to speed advances in cancer prevention, diagnosis, and treatment. A reinvigorated Cancer Moonshot could help us make even greater progress towards these goals, and drive action on new opportunities.
"We are especially glad to see that the proposal includes a major focus on equity, diversity, and inclusion. For all the progress we’ve made to improve cancer prevention, screening, care, and outcomes for patients, stubborn disparities continue to persist. ASCO and other stakeholders have been working on this issue for more than a decade, and with support from the Administration, we hope that we’ll be able to accelerate this progress and make headway towards true equity in cancer.
"We are also encouraged that the Administration specifically acknowledged that the COVID-19 pandemic has caused delays in routine cancer screenings. As oncologists, we see the result of these delays every day, as more new patients enter our offices with advanced cancer. We need to reverse this trend—and quickly—to give patients the best long-term outlook.
"ASCO is grateful for President Biden’s continuing leadership and personal commitment to reducing cancer’s burden on patients and families. Today’s announcement is just the starting point, but we are hopeful that it will be a catalyst to reinvigorate our collective progress against cancer. ASCO stands ready to offer our full support and expertise to the Biden Administration as we work together to conquer cancer.”
