NEW ORLEANS, Louisiana — President Biden and First Lady Jill Biden visited New Orleans on Tuesday Biden Cancer Moonshot InitiativeThe announcement comes one week after the Department of Health and Human Services awarded nearly $9 million to improve access to cancer screening and follow-up treatment in underserved areas as part of an effort to expand cancer prevention care.
Earlier Tuesday, the White House announced grants of up to $150 million to eight research teams across the country to develop technology that could allow surgeons to perform more successful tumor-removal surgeries on cancer patients.
Two years ago, the Biden administration Renewal The Cancer Moonshot Initiative has two main goals: to prevent four million cancer deaths by 2047 and to improve the lives of people affected by cancer.
Since then, the initiative has announced collaborations with the private sector, including an effort involving the largest U.S. health insurer to expand access to services to help U.S. patients and their families afford cancer treatment and screening, as well as a commitment of $100 million for cancer prevention and treatment in Africa.
But the upcoming election could affect the Cancer Moonshot’s future cancer research funding. It has begun It was funded under the Obama administration in 2016 and continued to be funded under the Trump administration. Biden also began a private sector phase that he paused when he took office in 2019. Release Running for President. Funding for the Cancer Moonshot initiative declined during the 2020 pandemic.
“Every time there’s an election, there’s concern that funding will be cut, and the budget impasse of the past few years has really hurt funding for cancer research,” said Dr. Stephen Grant, director of Tulane Cancer Center.
According to the Department of Health and Human Services, cancer is the second leading cause of death in the United States, killing approximately 600,000 people each year. New Cancer Research Globally, the number of cancer cases among men is expected to increase by 53% between 2022 and 2050. The president has spoken frequently about how cancer has affected his own life after his son was diagnosed with the disease. Beau Biden He died of a brain tumor in 2015 at the age of 46.
One focus of the effort is to increase engagement in cancer prevention by encouraging Americans to get cancer screenings they missed during the pandemic. One of the Cancer Moonshot-funded studies is investigating cancer detection blood tests as a minimally invasive tool for early cancer detection. It also works to increase community engagement to address disparities in cancer care.
“We have great therapies, but if we can’t get them to patients, it’s pointless,” said Dr. Joe Ramos, president and CEO of the Louisiana Cancer Research Center, who will accompany the president to the New Orleans event. He said the Cancer Moon Shot aims to reframe the conversation about cancer to make it more patient-centered.
Grant says his state of Louisiana sees many cancers caused by preventable factors like smoking, obesity and physical inactivity. His team works to reduce those risks and promote cancer screening in communities. When cancer is found early, it is often easier to treat.
“Historically, access to health care has been difficult in Louisiana,” Grant said, “and we work hard to make the entry and passage through the health care system as painless as possible. The health care system can be intimidating for people who haven’t been through the system.”
But funding specifically earmarked for the Cancer Moonshot was not renewed in a congressional spending bill in March, raising concerns about future funding.
Ramos said this is a bipartisan issue that requires funding from Congress.
Asked whether the Trump campaign would insist on continuing funding for Biden’s Cancer Moonshot initiative, Trump’s national press secretary, Caroline Leavitt, responded, “That’s a serious question: What policies has he implemented? And what have they done?”
“The United States leads the world in cancer research because the government has funded it so much,” Grant said. “We don’t want to lose that advantage.”
Jake Rosen and Aaron Navarro contributed to this report.
How to Watch the Biden Cancer Moonshot Event
What: Biden speaks about the Cancer Moonshot When: Tuesday, August 13, 2024 Time: 4:30pm ET Where: Tulane University, New Orleans, Louisiana Online Streaming: Stream live on CBS News in the player above and on your mobile or streaming device. More info
Aaron Navarro also contributed to this report.