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Two out of every five Americans will be diagnosed with cancer in their lifetime. These are sobering statistics that remind us why investment in cancer research is so critically important for saving lives. I know personally the benefit of this research investment. At the age of 43, I was diagnosed with early-stage breast cancer after a routine mammogram. Thank goodness our country’s investment in cancer research, many years before I was diagnosed, led to an early detection test for breast cancer that I benefited from and ultimately a diagnosis that I survived.
However, I also know the story doesn’t always turn out that way. In 1999, my father was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer and died four months later at the age of 52. At that time, there were very few researchers studying pancreatic cancer, few treatments available and the five-year survival rate was just 4%. Since then, I have spent my entire professional career working to advance progress against pancreatic cancer.
Today, the President released his FY26 budget that includes a proposed $17.5 billion or a 37% cut to the National Institutes of Health, which includes the National Cancer Institute. This is a staggering reduction that will have a devastating impact on progress for pancreatic cancer. At a time when we should be advancing forward, these cuts will take us backward, jeopardizing the lives of patients today and in the future.
“We don’t have advocates for this disease because they don’t live long enough,” said Randy Pausch, author of “The Last Lecture,” who testified before the U.S. Senate in March 2008 to advocate for increased federal research funding for pancreatic cancer while he was fighting the disease. It had metastasized to his liver and spleen, but he told his doctors to get him healthy enough to go to Capitol Hill so he could speak to Congress. He died just four months later, just like my dad.
Pancreatic cancer is the third leading cause of cancer-related deaths in the U.S. and is on track to become the second by 2030. It remains the only major cancer with a five-year survival rate below 20% at just 13%. Most patients are diagnosed late when the cancer has spread. Of the five most lethal cancers, including lung, colorectal, breast and prostate, pancreatic cancer is the only one that does not have a standard screening strategy.
Pausch’s testimony was a pivotal moment for this disease. It helped set the foundation for the Recalcitrant Cancer Research Act, which was passed with bipartisan support into law in 2013, mandating the National Cancer Institute (NCI) to develop scientific frameworks for the deadliest cancers. Thanks to this legislation, and bipartisan support of sustained increases to our country’s investment in biomedical research, the pancreatic cancer research field has continued to grow. Last year alone, four new drugs were approved for pancreatic cancer, and a major phase III trial showed an overall survival benefit for patients with unresectable, locally advanced disease. These advances are improving survival rates and giving patients more precious time with their families. Today, patients are three times more likely to survive five years than they were when my father was diagnosed.
We are at a tipping point and making progress. Pancreatic cancer researchers are on the verge of developing potentially lifesaving treatment breakthroughs for patients whose tumors have a KRAS gene mutation. Once thought “undruggable,” people with this gene mutation, which includes more than 90% of patients with pancreatic cancer, are now able to enroll in the first phase III clinical trial targeting this mutation. This could be a gamechanger.
This progress has been made possible by decades of sustained federal research funding, including at the National Cancer Institute (NCI) and the dedicated pancreatic cancer research program at the Department of Defense that advocates fought for years to preserve and increase – and has now been eliminated by Congress.
The vast majority of all biomedical research funding comes from the federal government, which is why diseases like AIDS and breast cancer are now so survivable today. I am devastated about what these cuts will mean for the researchers who are working tirelessly to accelerate progress for patients. And more importantly, what this will mean for patients. The cuts in federal funding will reduce support for critical clinical trials, new treatments, early detection and innovation. The cuts in federal funding will mean fewer options for patients, less scientific advancement, and we may lose an entire generation of researchers studying this disease as a result.
I know personally the positive impact of this country’s investment in cancer research. But we must ensure that scientists have the resources to continue to drive progress and improve outcomes for patients. Congress, act now to protect cancer research funding because patients with pancreatic cancer can’t afford to wait. We stand ready to work with you and the administration to ensure progress continues.
— Julie Fleshman, president and CEO, Pancreatic Cancer Action Network (PanCAN)
