Congress votes to increase funding to Department of Defense Pancreatic Cancer Research Program

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.

While there have been tremendous advancements in the last 20 years with more people surviving and living with cancer, the progress has been very slow when it comes to pancreatic cancer.

Pancreatic cancer is the third leading cause of cancer death in the United States and the five-year survival rate is just 11%--the lowest survival rate of all major cancers. With no early detection test and few effective treatment options, there continues to be an urgent need to increase funding, research, and awareness to improve outcomes for people with pancreatic cancer.

And that is why PanCAN’s vision is to create a world in which all patients with pancreatic cancer will thrive. It’s why we take bold action every day to reach that goal. We fund transformative research—everything from early detection to innovative new treatment approaches. Our PanCAN Patient Services program provides free, personalized patient support about treatment options, diet and nutrition, and other resources so that no patient and family must face this disease alone. And we work with thousands of grassroots advocates to urge Congress to increase federal research funding for pancreatic cancer and to raise awareness and funding in local communities.

We have set an ambitious goal to see the five-year survival rate for pancreatic cancer increase to 20% by 2030 and we look forward to working with the Biden Administration and other patient advocacy organizations to reach that goal – and to create better outcomes for all cancer patients.

About the Pancreatic Cancer Action Network
The Pancreatic Cancer Action Network (PanCAN) leads the way in accelerating critical progress for pancreatic cancer patients. PanCAN takes bold action by funding life-saving research, providing personalized patient services and creating a community of supporters and volunteers who will stop at nothing to create a world in which all pancreatic cancer patients will thrive.