CDC Awards $215M to Advance Cancer Moonshot Goals

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) announced $215 million in funding awards for 86 recipients under three national cancer programs: the National Breast and Cervical Cancer Early Detection Program, the National Comprehensive Cancer Control Program, and the National Program of Cancer Registries.

The funding is part of a five-year, $1.1 billion investment in cancer prevention included in President Biden’s Cancer Moonshot, the initiative that aims to “end cancer as we know it” by reducing the death rate by at least 50 percent over the next 25 years. The Cancer Moonshot also focuses on improving the experience of those who are living with cancer, cancer survivors, and their families.

“Today we know cancer as a disease that we often diagnose too late, but thankfully we have a few ways to prevent it and tackle stark inequities across races, regions, and resources,” said the Department of Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra in the press release. “This funding is a critical investment in support of President Biden’s Cancer Moonshot initiative and our efforts to help ensure that everyone in the United States equitably benefits from the tools we have to detect and diagnose cancer.”

This new round of funding supports CDC’s goals to reduce preventable cancers, ensure more efficient cancer screening, and improve health and wellness outcomes for cancer survivors.

“This funding is an important part of our strategy to support communities in improving chronic disease outcomes among people experiencing health disparities and inequities,” said Karen Hacker, MD, director of CDC’s National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion, in the press release. “Cancer prevention and control is an urgent public health issue, as cancer remains the second leading cause of death in the United States with more than 1,600 people dying of cancer every day. We can do more together to save lives and make this disease history.”

The funded programs will be tasked with demonstrating strategies and building capacities to advance health equity and enhance cancer prevention and control. Desired outcomes of these efforts include improved cancer surveillance, enhanced provision of preventive services, and increased strategic planning and evidence-based action within communities.

All funded programs will work with the aforementioned national cancer programs to achieve their goals. The National Breast and Cervical Cancer Early Detection Program was federally mandated in 1990 and has been tasked with supporting breast and cervical cancer screening initiatives centered on uninsured and underinsured patients. The National Comprehensive Cancer Control Program was created in 1998 to support coalitions’ implementations of cancer control plans. The National Program of Cancer Registries, federally mandated in 1992, supports population-based cancer registries for cancer surveillance and data collection.

President Biden reignited the Cancer Moonshot in February after former President Barack Obama created the White House Cancer Moonshot Task Force in 2016. Biden’s reboot of the initiative aims to re-establish a White House Cancer Moonshot coordinator in the executive office of the president and form a cancer cabinet consisting of different departments and agencies to address cancer prevention and control.