Rationale
for a United Approach | The Blood Cancer Coalition
| Advocacy Groups
OFF: Rationale for a United
Approach
ALL
|
Oneness:
We must work to unite all cancer groups so that we may become a
powerful political force - so we may become effective! -
not just for ourselves, but for those to come. The recent
reversal on the NIH budget cuts is a demonstration of the
power we have when we work together. Considering current
stresses in 2003 on our economy, it was a remarkable victory! The NCI estimated that 8.7 million
Americans were alive with cancer in 1997. That's a lot of
voting power. |
ALL
|
Fairness:
Ensure that NIH resources are allocated fairly in proportion to
burden. Period.
It's wasteful to be in competition for larger pieces of general research allocations; and
we believe that our representatives are uncomfortable when asked to support
funding of one group over another. Importantly, this competition compromises
the power we have when united.
|
Blood Cancer Groups
|
Focus:
The Blood Cancer groups should then ensure that NIH resources are
focused and optimized to discover,
validate, and clinically test targeted therapeutics for NHL and
other blood cancers as directed in the initiative proposed by
the panel of PRG experts:
A New PRG Initiative – The Cancer Translational Research Allied Consortium
(C-TRAC)
"We propose a new initiative that will
bring together experts across multiple disciplines and
institutions to participate, within a formalized infrastructure,
in the rapid discovery and development of cancer therapies.
This initiative will encompass the whole spectrum of drug
discovery and development: identifying, validating, and
credentialing targets; discovery and preclinical testing of agents
directed against these targets; and scale-up and testing of
promising agents in clinical trials. The ultimate goal of the C-TRAC
will be to shorten drug development time from 5-10 years to two
years through a novel alliance among academia, industry,
government, and patients." |
The
Blood Cancer Coalition
The Blood cancer
coalition was a huge success in 2002. Our representatives are now much more sensitive to the
burden we face, and they are also aware of the opportunities that desperately need
funding.
OVERALL STATE OF THE SCIENCE -
From the Report of the Leukemia, Lymphoma, and Myeloma Progress
Review Group May 2001 full
text
"Despite advances in diagnosis
and treatment and improvements in patient survival, the hematologic
cancers continue to have a significant impact on the lives of
Americans.
Right now, almost 700,000 Americans are living with
leukemia, lymphoma, or myeloma (LLM), and an estimated 100,000 new
cases occur each year. Although mortality has declined and 5-year
survival rates have increased among adults and children with certain
forms of these diseases, an estimated 60,000 Americans will die of
them in 2001.
For all forms of leukemia, the five-year survival rate
is only 46%, for non-Hodgkin's lymphoma it is 54.2%, and for multiple
myeloma it is only 28%. Despite the significant decline in the death
rate for children with leukemia, this disease still causes more
deaths in children in the U.S. than any other disease. Furthermore,
the death rates for non-Hodgkin's lymphoma and multiple myeloma are
increasing at a time when death rates for other cancers are
dropping.
Since the 1970's, incidence rates for
non-Hodgkin's
lymphoma have increased dramatically, making it one of the fastest
rising cancers in the United States. The hematologic cancers strike
individuals of all ages, from children to the elderly; men and
women; and all races."
"Not
only politicians, regulators, scientists, doctors and pharmaceutical
officers get cancer, but their parents, siblings children,
grandchildren and best friends - so we have an interested
majority in any group you can think of - and we have to work the
system by speaking up, being active and letting them know that
we care and that we expect them to do their best to deal with
this devastating plague in our society.
Join us next year in D.C."
- Leonard R.
Advocate for Translational Research
Because
of recent advances in the understanding of lymphoma, we have good
reason to be optimistic about the future. However, there remains an
urgent need to expedite the development and approval of new agents with novel
mechanisms for treating indolent
lymphomas: See Each Subsequent Therapy Results in Diminishing Response Rate
and Duration of Response in Low Grade or Transformed Low Grade
Non-Hodgkin's Lymphoma. - ASCO
2001 Abstract 1165
Many believe that one key to making
progress in treating indolent lymphomas is to conduct translational
research. This means do the work of translating what is
known about pro-cancer mechanisms that
drive and sustain malignant lymphoma cells into drugs that target or
undo these mechanisms, as Gleevec has demonstrated recently. C-TRAC is
a revolutionary proposal made by the NCI that is poised to accomplish
this goal. It
stands for Cancer Translational Research
Allied Consortium. We believe it's essential that we tell our representatives
to direct the NCI to implement this plan.
Advocacy &
Awareness
Groups
Cancer Groups
Blood Cancer Groups
Patient Advocacy groups
-
|
