American Society of Clinical Oncology: Bush's cuts have "a real cost in human life."

[seafan]

http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/medicalnews.php?newsid=61941">Cancer Research Could Be Affected By Cuts To NCI Funding

01 Feb 2007

Cancer researchers are expressing concern that clinical studies could be impeded as a result of President Bush's proposed spending cuts to the National Cancer Institute for the second consecutive year, USA Today reports. Bush's proposed cuts could reduce the institute's 2007 budget by nearly 1%, or $36 million, to slightly more than $4.7 billion.


During a recent visit to NIH, Bush said that NCI funding remains relatively high and has doubled during the past decade. He also noted an American Cancer Society report indicating that cancer deaths nationwide have dropped for the second consecutive year. However, scientists are "concerned that funding cuts could undermine that success," USA Today reports.


According to the American Society of Clinical Oncology, cooperative cancer groups nationwide might have to close or delay 95 trials this year -- nearly half of the trials the groups conduct annually. Allen Lichter, executive vice president of ASCO, said many of the research groups that could be affected by federal spending cuts have made key discoveries in the past, such as the therapeutic value of tamoxifin and raloxifene at preventing breast cancer.


Those researchers had intended to begin the next phase of the study, which would have involved a class of drugs called aromatase inhibitors. Lichter said, "The study is approved, ready to go and it's absolutely, positively on hold." He said that Bush's cuts have "a real cost in human life," adding, "At a time when we are finally making progress, they are pulling the rug out." White House spokesperson Tony Fratto said, "We're proud of the significant investment that we have made in cancer research. We're also proud of the results showing that researchers are delivering on that investment" (Szabo, USA Today, 1/29). ...

This one man has advanced unprecedented, wholesale destruction since he seized our White House on December 12, 2000.

[bdamomma]

1. bush cuts to funds? doesn't that say it all.

[cassiepriam]

2. Bush is lying. Cancer research funding has been markedly decreased.

[bryant69]

3. Well Republican Priorities are pretty well set in stone at this point

Serve the wealthy. Screw the poor or the sick.

Bryant
Check it out --> http://politicalcomment.blogspot.com

[tanyev]

4. I wonder if any of those trials could have helped Tony Snow?

[thereismore]

5. he* really is a pro-life Resident. Puke. nt

[JohnnyLib2]

6. Damn the cancer. I support science, and the candidates

who will do better in this area. Damn the lame duck *, too, while I'm at it.

[yardwork]

7. k&r to witness to what this evil administration has done

Across the board cuts in all kinds of science, replaced with hundreds of billions in funding to war-profiteers.

[kestrel91316]

8. These cuts have no impact on the wealthy, only the Little People.

When is everyone gonna wake up to the RW attempt to commit genocide of the non-wealthy???

[ThomCat]

10. In this one case I will disagree with you.

These cuts slow down the pace of cancer research. Rich people and poor both die because of cures that haven't been found yet.

Once a cure has been found then you would be right, rich people will get it and poor people won't. That is another injustice we need to fight.

[renate]

9. it kind of pisses me off to hear that "everybody in the WH" is in tears

...over Tony Snow, yet this administration has cavalierly sentenced other people to death (from cancer and war. And poverty, and and and....)

I know it's only human nature to best understand a tragedy when it hits home personally, but still.

Maybe this is the one good thing that could come out of Tony Snow's illness--he could use his connections to convince people to increase federal sponsorship cancer research.

And I do want to add here as elsewhere that I wish Tony the very best. What shocking news, and so sad.

[DeepModem Mom]

11. Thank you for posting this, especially at this time...

when so many people, both the prominent and those dear to each of us, are battling cancer. To withhold these funds is a form of public evil, and any who enable this administration share in the responsibility for it.