DEADLIEST CANCERS COALITION

NEW Recording of Webinar for Deadliest Cancers Researchers interested in applying for grants from the Department of Defense’s Congressionally Directed Medical Research Program (April 13, 2021) - The Department of Defense’s Congressional Directed Medical Research Program (CDMRP) includes a variety of different cancer research grant opportunities, which sometimes makes it difficult to choose the best program given that research often involves several different types of cancers.  In this webinar, researchers will hear from the program leads for several programs to better understand which program is the best fit for their specific grant application and why.  More…

RECORDING of 2020 Webinar for Deadliest Cancers Researchers interested in applying for grants from the Department of Defense’s Peer-Reviewed Cancer Research Program (April 16, 2020) PRCRP Program Manager, Dr. Donna Kimbark, provides an in-depth tutorial for researchers interested in applying for a research grant administered through this program. Fiscal Year 2020 was the first year that all of the deadliest cancers were included in the DoD’s Congressional Directed Medical Research Program, which includes the PRCRP. The CDMRP and PRCRP are complimentary to research funding provided through the National Cancer Institute (NCI), but the funding awarded through these programs are inherently different. While the NCI focuses on funding the best science regardless of the disease focus, the PRCRP focuses on funding the most compelling research for each specific disease. Both approaches are critical to making progress in the deadliest cancers.

Pancreatic and liver cancer will surpass breast, colorectal and prostate cancer in number of deaths by 2030 
New study published that shows that pancreatic cancer will move from the fourth to the second leading cause of cancer-related death in the United States around 2020, when the number of deaths caused by pancreatic cancer exceeds the number for colorectal cancer. By 2030, the top five cancer killers are predicted to be lung, pancreatic, liver, colorectal, and breast — a dramatic shift from the current ranking of lung, colorectal, breast, pancreatic, and prostate. Lung, pancreatic, and liver cancers are all considered “deadly cancers” because their five-year relative survival rates are below 50 percent. In general, there are currently few early detection or treatment tools for these diseases 

Recalcitrant Cancer Research Act Passes Into Law
This landmark legislation requires the National Cancer Institute to examine its current research efforts on cancers with very low survival rates and work to develop early detection methods and better treatment options to help improve outcomes for those diagnosed with the most deadly forms of cancer, including pancreatic and lung cancer. 

“Cancer Costs Projected to Reach at least $158 Billion in 2020”
This National Cancer Institute study found that the five cancers that have the highest initial costs are all deadly cancers: brain, esophagus, ovaries, pancreas, and stomach. 

“Progress in the War on Cancer”
Authors Susan M. Gapstur, PhD, MPH and Michael J. Thun, MD, MS of the American Cancer Society note that even more than 40 years after President Nixon signed the National Cancer Act into law, “certain highly lethal cancers (pancreas, liver, ovary, lung, brain) that remain refractory to current therapies” are a “critical problem.” 

“Future of Cancer Incidence in the United States: Burdens upon an Aging, Changing Nation” (abstract)
Researchers found that between 2010 and 2030, “the total projected cancer incidence will increase by approximately 45%, from 1.6 million in 2010 to 2.3 million in 2030. This increase is driven by cancer diagnosed in older adults and minorities.” As shown in the “Funding for the Deadly Cancers from the National Cancer Institute,” the incidence of each of the eight main deadly cancers increases by 34% to 55%.