The National Cancer Institute, a division of the National Institutes of Health, published a study outlining prospects for achieving President Biden's Cancer Moonshot national goal of lowering the cancer death rate by at least 50% over the next 25 years.
According to a study led by scientists at the National Cancer Institute and published on April 17 in Cancer Discovery, reaching this objective will necessitate expanded access to and usage of therapies known to stop common causes of cancer death, according to an April 17 news release.
“Achieving a 50% reduction in cancer mortality in 25 years will be impossible without addressing cancer health equity. For several of the strategies highlighted in this study, improving access is critical,” National Cancer Institute Director Dr. Monica M. Bertagnolli said in the release.
The study's opportunities include further lowering the prevalence of tobacco use, increasing the use of colonoscopies for colorectal cancer prevention and early detection, increasing the use of hormone therapy for breast cancer prevention and treatment and increasing the detection and treatment of hepatitis B and hepatitis C viral infections to lower the risk of liver cancer, the release reported. New approaches are also required to address disparities in access to all of these interventions, as well as to decrease cancer-related fatalities from prostate, liver, pancreatic and other malignancies.
Co-investigator Neal D. Freedman, Ph.D., of the Division of Cancer Epidemiology and Genetics, stressed the importance of ongoing development and advancement, the release said.
"Continued innovation is also really important," Freedman said in the release. "If there are new blockbuster drugs for common cancers, for example, or really great new screening tests, or a combination of those things, that would do a lot toward reducing cancer mortality.”
The NCI study noted expanding access to and usage of therapies known to stop common causes of cancer death is crucial for achieving this goal, according to the release. By targeting the primary causes of cancer deaths and reducing disparities in access to effective treatments, the Cancer Moonshot initiative has the potential to reduce cancer mortality rates in the U.S. significantly.
