WHAT THEY ARE SAYING: President Biden Reignites Cancer Moonshot

Yesterday, President Biden reignited the Cancer Moonshot to end cancer as we know it. Among other ambitious goals, the President outlined his vision 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. Leading cancer advocates, patients, and experts who have dedicated their lives to this effort are applauding the announcement.

Here is what they are saying about the Cancer Moonshot:

David Arons, National Brain Tumor Society Chief Executive Officer: "We strongly share in the President, Vice President, and First Lady's belief that there exists an opportunity today to facilitate transformative change in cancer research and care. We're particularly encouraged that the President is once again mobilizing the entire government in this endeavor, including the creation of a White House Cancer Moonshot coordinator in the Executive Officer and the creation of a Cancer Cabinet. Further, we applaud the acute focus on ensuring the voice of patients, survivors, caregivers, and patient advocates is central to the Moonshot." [Statement, 2/2/22]

Laura A. Dawson, MD, FASTRO, The American Society for Radiation Oncology (ASTRO) Board of Directors Chair: "On behalf of radiation oncologists who treat people with cancer every day, we support the Biden-Harris administration's move to drastically reduce the number of cancer deaths in the United States and improve the lives of people diagnosed with this disease. We believe the administration's commitment to expand cancer prevention efforts and to increase equitable access to screenings and treatments will help mitigate some of the negative impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. ASTRO and the radiation oncology community stand ready to work with the Administration to realize these goals."[Statement, 2/2/22]

Margaret Foti, PhD, MD, American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) CEO: "After the devastating interruptions in cancer research and patient care over the past two years, we must act with urgency to restore the scientific momentum against cancer. The reignited Cancer Moonshot will provide an important framework to help improve cancer prevention strategies, increase cancer screenings and early detection, reduce cancer disparities, and propel new lifesaving cures for patients with cancer." [Statement, 2/2/22]

Karen E. Knudsen, MBA, PhD, CEO of The American Cancer Society (ACS): "We commend President Biden for reigniting the moonshot to accelerate his commitment to 'end cancer as we know it,' a disease that greatly impacted his family, Vice President Kamala Harris' family and nearly every family across the country. President Biden announced goals that require bold action. The American Cancer Society (ACS) and the American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network (ACS CAN) will be standing shoulder to shoulder with the President, the administration and all levels of government, as well as the cancer community at large, to improve the lives of people with cancer and their families."[Statement, 2/2/22]

NFN Scout, PhD, Executive Director of The Nation LGBT Cancer Network: "The National LGBT Cancer Network is extremely pleased to see that this Cancer Moonshot initiative prioritizes both health disparities and community input. Often, people think that eliminating cancer is just about biomedical advances. However, those of us working to meet the needs of LGBTQ+ people on their cancer journey know all too well the gains that can be made with proper screening and care… We don't need new biomedical advances to address any of these problems, we need education, communication, and collaboration. Consequently, the National LGBT Cancer Network applauds the integration of equity into the new Cancer Moonshot initiative and looks forward to working with the President as well as other leaders so together we can minimize cancer's impact on our lives."[Statement, 2/2/22]

Ellen Sigal, Friends of Cancer Research Chair & Founder: "President & Dr. Biden's relentless leadership to advance the Cancer Moonshots' mission should be a signal to all that now is the time to take a bold new step to transform cancer research and care. The Moonshot's principles, partnerships, and resources will continue to accelerate the incredible progress that has and continues to be made... The original Moonshot demonstrated that it was possible to compress a decade's worth of progress into a few short years. We can't afford to not make that opportunity a reality again."[Statement, 2/2/22]

Phylicia L. Woods, Executive Director of CSC's Cancer Policy Institute: "The reignited Cancer Moonshot's ambitious new goals — reduce cancer deaths by at least 50 percent over the next 25 years and improve the experience of people and their families living with and surviving cancer — could make significant strides towards ultimately ending the world of cancer as we know it today. We applaud President Biden for his longstanding commitment to providing cancer patients and their families with hope for a brighter future." [Statement, 2/2/22]

Association for Clinical Oncology (ASCO): '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." [Statement, 2/2/22]

Pancreatic Cancer Action Network: "The Pancreatic Cancer Action Network (PanCAN) applauds President Biden for relaunching the Cancer Moonshot initiative and setting long-term, ambitious goals of reducing the death rate from cancer by 50% over the next 25 years, improving the experience for patients and families living with and surviving cancer and ending cancer as we know it today.' [Statement, 2/2/22]

Research!America: "Cancer is a menace that has been enormously difficult to overcome, but there is now unprecedented promise – through immunology, gene editing and other breakthroughs – for far faster progress. We applaud the White House announcement today of a reignited Cancer Moonshot. A plan for cross-agency collaboration, measurable metrics, a focus on early diagnosis, and a commitment to equity are just some of the laudable and practical facets of this plan. Revolutionizing how we address cancer could pave the way for a "disease moonshot," applying lessons learned to a host of other health concerns."[Statement, 2/2/22]

The New York Times: Biden Presents Ambitious Plan to Cut Cancer Death Rate in Half
[Sheryl Gay Stolberg and Gina Kolata, 2/2/22]

President Biden unveiled a plan on Wednesday to reduce the death rate from cancer by at least 50 percent over the next 25 years — an ambitious new goal, he said, to "supercharge" the cancer "moonshot" program he initiated and presided over five years ago as vice president.

Bloomberg Law: Biden Relaunches Moonshot Effort to 'End Cancer as We Know It'
[Jeannie Baumann and Allie Reed, 2/2/22]

Ending cancer as we know it has remained a top priority for Biden since his last tour in the White House. After the end of the President Barack Obama's presidency, he and his wife, Jill Biden, set up a now-suspended Biden Cancer Initiative and held a cancer summit in 2018.The commitment to improving cancer outcomes was one of the reasons Biden decided to run president, he said at a White House event Wednesday.

CNN: Biden relaunches 'Cancer Moonshot' initiative aimed at halving rate of cancer deaths by 2047
[Donald Judd and Kate Sullivan, 2/2/22]

President Joe Biden on Wednesday relaunched the White House's 'Cancer Moonshot' initiative, committing the nation to working toward reducing the death rate from cancer by at least 50% over the next 25 years…The President pledged to bring a 'fierce sense of urgency' to the fight against cancer and better support cancer patients and their families.

NPR: Here's how the Biden administration says it will halve cancer death rates by 2047
[Rachel Treisman, 2/2/22]

President Biden announced on Wednesday that he is reigniting 'Cancer Moonshot,' the project he spearheaded as vice president during the Obama administration… According to the White House, recent progress in cancer therapeutics, diagnostics and patient-driven care — as well as the public health lessons and scientific advances of the COVID-19 pandemic — make it possible to set and achieve more ambitious goals.

The Washington Post: Biden relaunches 'cancer moonshot,' aiming to reduce death rate by 50 percent in 25 years
[Laurie McGinley, 2/2/22]

The moonshot reboot features a long list of goals. The plan includes urging Americans to resume cancer screening, to make up for the millions of tests missed during the coronavirus pandemic — something that Jill Biden will be heavily involved in. It also calls for more equitable access to care — providing, for example, mobile screening to make it easier for patients to get the tests.

Cancer Discovery: Moonshot Redux to Focus on Prevention, Screening
[American Association for Cancer Research, 2/2/22]

Leading cancer researchers welcomed news of the Moonshot's relaunch. "It has tremendous potential impact," said Raphael Pollock, MD, PhD, director of The Ohio State University Comprehensive Cancer Center in Columbus. He argued that enhanced screening in communities with limited access to health care, as called for under Biden's program, offers "the biggest bang for our buck" and makes the goal of dramatically reducing cancer mortality "very achievable."