The National Cancer Institute reports how appropriated funds are spent in a number of different categories or classifications including specific cancer sites, cancer types, diseases related to cancer, as well as types of research mechanisms. The table below represents funding levels for frequently requested research areas. These research areas do not represent the entire NCI research portfolio. Funding for these areas can overlap and do not add to the total NCI budget. For example, dollars for a clinical trial on breast cancer research would be included in both the Breast Cancer and the Clinical Trials lines in the table below. Similarly, a basic cancer research project may be relevant to cervical, uterine and ovarian cancers and relevant funding would be included in the figures for all three sites.
| 2003 | 2004 | 2005 | 2006 | 2007 | |
| Disease Area | Actual | Actual | Actual | Actual | Actual |
| Total NCI Budget | $4,592.3 | $4,723.9 | $4,794.7 | $4,747.2 | $4,792.6 |
| AIDS | 263.4 | 267.0 | 265.9 | 253.7 | 253.7 |
| Brain & CNS | 111.5 | 132.3 | 124.9 | 130.3 | 148.2 |
| Breast Cancer | 548.7 | 566.2 | 560.1 | 584.7 | 572.4 |
| Cervical Cancer | 79.0 | 79.0 | 81.7 | 83.3 | 82.4 |
| Clinical Trials | 799.5 | 800.0 | 781.8 | 822.3 | 843.7 |
| Colorectal Cancer | 261.6 | 262.0 | 253.1 | 244.1 | 258.4 |
| Head and Neck Cancers | 77.7 | 88.2 | 89.5 | 71.3 | 66.2 |
| Hodgkins Disease | 16.5 | 17.4 | 17.2 | 20.9 | 16.5 |
| Leukemia | 200.9 | 214.7 | 220.6 | 223.5 | 205.5 |
| Liver Cancer | 63.7 | 63.0 | 60.5 | 62.7 | 67.7 |
| Lung Cancer | 273.5 | 276.5 | 266.1 | 242.9 | 226.9 |
| Melanoma | 90.7 | 94.9 | 102.9 | 108.0 | 97.7 |
| Multiple Myeloma | 26.3 | 23.9 | 28.2 | 30.3 | 32.3 |
| Non Hodgkin's Lymphoma | 95.2 | 99.6 | 107.0 | 114.1 | 113.0 |
| Ovarian Cancer | 99.4 | 99.5 | 97.7 | 95.1 | 96.9 |
| Pancreatic Cancer | 42.3 | 52.7 | 66.7 | 74.2 | 73.3 |
| Prostate Cancer | 305.2 | 308.5 | 309.0 | 293.2 | 296.1 |
| Stomach Cancer | 13.4 | 11.6 | 11.0 | 11.5 | 12.0 |
| Uterine Cancer | 25.5 | 27.0 | 31.1 | 19.4 | 16.6 |