I’ve been a big fan of the cancer moon shot since President Biden first endorsed it during President Obama’s vice presidency.A generation shared before When I stumbled across him on the Acela train, I talked to him about his personal experience with it, and he kindly spoke to me about the future of cancer care and research.
Last month, President Biden Announce Rekindle the Cancer Moonshot. The reinvigorated effort shares the same goals as the original initiative in that it provides substantial government funding aimed at accelerating progress in our fight against cancer.Although Cancer Moon Landing Initially focused on accelerating discovery, fostering greater collaboration, and improving data sharing, this rekindling builds on the progress made since Cancer Moonshot was first launched in 2016 and quantifies one goal: bringing cancer to life within the next 25 years The death toll was cut in half.
The impact of the pandemic on cancer treatment
By 2022, the world will be much different than it was six years ago when the initiative was launched. Two years after the global pandemic, our “normal” way of life has been turned upside down. As we go through each new wave of viruses that mutate and spread across the globe, the ground changes beneath our feet, often suddenly and without warning. With each wave, hospitals and healthcare workers have restarted from their daily routines into an “all-hands-on” environment to meet urgent Covid needs. Non-urgent care was put on the back burner to free up staff to meet the incredibly urgent needs of the moment. These decisions are difficult and necessary as we navigate this unprecedented health crisis together.
However, the delay in non-critical care is not without impact.In March 2020 alone, there were more than 800 lung cancer screening appointments, according to the University of Cincinnati Cancer Center Postponed due to CovidWhen cancer screening returned to normal, the percentage of people with lung nodules suspected of having cancer increased to 29 percent from 8 percent before the pandemic.
Other impacts of resource diversion include delays in clinical trials. In some cases, trial sites have been essentially closed for recruitment due to understaffing. Even though the principal investigator is still available, it often happens that the site cannot be staffed with clinical trial coordinators, dispatchers and receptionists. Sometimes these support staff are pulled into other areas; sometimes they themselves get sick or are quarantined. Trial delays affect not only when patients benefit from potential new treatments, but also the feasibility of clinical trials as a whole.
Many healthcare companies are also feeling the impact of the pandemic through supply chain issues. While our company did not directly encounter supply issues like other companies, we were impacted by logistics. Our clinical trials require the transportation of refrigerated drug products from our manufacturing site in Germany to the United States, while large quantities of refrigerated Covid vaccines need to be rapidly shipped globally through these same channels. We experience drug delivery stressors we’ve never encountered before and find ourselves scrambling to adapt to the situation.
A silver lining in the pandemic
These are just a few of the pandemic-related adjustments being made in healthcare. While some of these effects were short-term, the unexpected nature of the situation made us all re-examine how things were done. The silver lining of the Covid experience is the level of scientific understanding that ordinary people gain during the pandemic.
Two years ago, it was hard to overhear a conversation featuring terms like antigen, spike protein, or PCR testing, which are now routine points of conversation. For example, PCR testing, which requires advanced, cutting-edge technology to sequence the genetic code, is now routinely available in mobile testing units in parks, community pharmacies, and clinics, and the public has become familiar with it as a superior testing technique.
Another silver lining is that ordinary Americans have greater respect for the interplay between science and health care and the importance of cutting-edge medical research. Most Americans are benefiting from the extraordinary emergence of mRNA vaccines that would have seemed impossible a few years ago. Deployed at scale and with reportable results, their commitment is proven. mRNA vaccines and their success in reducing human toll from the pandemic have opened up a whole new field of drug and vaccine development. This will lead to a focus on developing cancer vaccines or mRNA reagents targeting specific cancer tumors.
Cancer testing is also set to see more of these breakthroughs as companies develop sophisticated assays to identify circulating cancerous DNA from simple blood samples. Cancer care will become more personalized, and scientific data will inform healthcare decisions.
In this environment, I believe the time to rekindle the Cancer Moonshot could not be better.
The value of government-funded programs
Government-funded programs such as the Cancer Moon Shot, which initially infused $1.8 billion over seven years, not only support the basic science that often underlies medical progress, but also ensure that patients with rare cancers are not neglected.
Because of the way our healthcare system works, the development of new treatments will always require some sort of risk-reward calculation. Government funding helps level the playing field for rare cancer patients by sharing a portion of the investment.
For example, the National Cancer Institute, which is funded by Cancer Moonshot, is able to sponsor trials for small companies like ours that hope to provide treatment to patients who do not have it. Trials can be completed faster with NCI’s resources. For example, such support could pave the way for the commercialization of cancer drugs for patients with certain rare diseases. In my company’s own experience, trials that would have taken us more than five years will now be completed in less than half the time, thanks to the NCI and the Cancer Moon Shot.
In addition, insights gained during NCI trial management will be made publicly available as part of the data sharing portion of the Cancer Moon Shot. These insights can add to the scientific body of knowledge about rare diseases and promote the further development of cancer for the benefit of all Americans. All in all, it can be said that the cancer moonshot has improved outcomes for many cancer patients.
Cancer Cabinet Powerhouse
Part of the Cancer Moon Shot calls for a cancer cabinet, which brings together government departments and agencies. I fully support this cabinet because I believe it is critical that lawmakers have access to the most informed and leading oncology thinkers today.
Ideally, this cabinet will include academic, drug development and big pharma luminaries representing the healthcare sector at the intersection of primary research, drug development and commercialization. As cancer cabinets, these healthcare leaders will develop guidelines for the deployment of funding for the reinvigorated Cancer Moon Shot, as well as metrics and deliverables that will ensure transparency and provide a way to justify funding research, treatment and prevention to combat Effects of cancer.
With the final funding for the original Cancer moonshot diverted this year, it’s hard to argue against this crucial rekindling. Renewed financial resources and leadership will be key catalysts for achieving the cancer mortality reductions we are seeking, and the kind that Americans deserve, given all of what we have accomplished in medicine, science, and technology in recent years. Thanks to Covid, there is a general understanding of what science can offer and how quickly it can deliver results.
A nonpartisan path to a cure for cancer
Continued funding of the cancer moonshot is not a partisan issue. However, it does require legislative action to bear fruit. I urge you, whether you are politically aligned with the president or not, to reach out to your lawmakers and encourage them to support and pass this initiative in a timely manner.
Cancer affects nearly every American’s life, whether through a personal diagnosis or through a diagnosis from a close friend or family member. It was a colossal disaster that caused incredible pain and suffering. As we are acutely aware of the value of scientific progress, almost everyone feels the need to make progress in the fight against cancer.
Let’s build on Richard Nixon’s 1971 war on cancer, which gave birth to the National Cancer Institute, respected for its dedication to cutting-edge research on rare and rare diseases. Let’s build on 25 years of bipartisan support and public health progress to reduce age-adjusted cancer mortality by 25%. Let us lay the groundwork by continuing to support the Cancer Moon Shot so that we can halve cancer mortality within the next 25 years and ultimately end cancer as we know it.
Photo: Mainsail, Getty Images
