AACR Cancer Progress Report 2014
American Association for Cancer Research
"Finding Cures Together"
USA, 2014, 126 pagesVI AACR Cancer Progress Report 2014
treatments precisely targeted to the unique molecular and
genetic characteristics of an individual’s cancer. In fact, _ve
of the six anticancer therapeutics approved by the FDA
between Aug. 1, 2013, and July 31, 2014, are compounds
that actually target unique molecular and genetic
characteristics.Advances in cancer research have led to an expansion in
the clinical use of genomic information, which was once
reserved solely for research. Improvements in the ability
to sequence and analyze large amounts of DNA have made
it increasingly possible to identify the most appropriate
therapy for a patient and to optimize the design and
conduct of clinical trials. Collectively, these advances will
spur the development of new and improved anticancer
therapeutics.American Association for Cancer Research (AACR)
is deeply grateful to all of the courageous individuals who
have shared their personal experiences with the devastating
collection of diseases we call cancer in the AACR Cancer
Progress Report 2014. _ese stories, together with the
advances described in this report, inspire hope for a future
free of death from cancer. However, our ability to realize
this future is in jeopardy because of reductions in federal
investments in the NIH and NCI.Budgets for the NIH and the NCI have failed to keep
pace with in_ation over the past decade. On top of these
in_ationary losses, direct budget cuts in 2011 and 2013
slashed NIH funding. With diminished resources, these
critical agencies are not able to fund all of the promising
research proposals they receive, and some researchers
have had to downsize their laboratories or leave the _eld
altogether. _is reduction in our nation’s research capacity
and workforce has grave consequences for future innovation
in biomedical research and, most importantly, for the more
than 1.6 million people who are projected to receive a
cancer diagnosis in the United States in 2014.AACR calls upon Congress and the administration
to put the NIH and NCI budgets back on a path of
predictable growth by providing annual budget increases
Americans are more likely to survive a cancer diagnosis
today than at any other time in history. In fact, thanks to
the incredible strides that have been made in biomedical
research, the percentage of the U.S. population living with,
through, or beyond cancer has more than tripled since the
U.S. Congress passed the National Cancer Act in 1971.AACR Cancer Progress Report 2014 chronicles the
progress that has been made against the more than 200
diseases we call cancer and details how federal investment
in the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and the National
Cancer Institute (NCI) is transforming cancer care and the
lives of patients in the United States and around the world.
Between Aug. 1, 2013, and July 31, 2014, the U.S. Food and
Drug Administration (FDA) approved six new anticancer
therapeutics and new uses for _ve previously approved
anticancer therapeutics, two new cancer imaging agents,
and one screening test. _ese advances add to the growing
number of tools that health care providers have to detect,
diagnose, treat, and cure some types of cancer. _ey are
also helping patients like James (Rocky) Lagno (see p. 62),
one of the individuals whose inspiring personal stories are
included in the AACR Cancer Progress Report 2014, to live
longer, fuller lives.
