Congressman Brian Higgins (NY-27), a member of the House of Representatives Cancer Caucus, recognized February 4, 2010 as World Cancer Day.  According to the World Health Organization (WHO) cancer deaths worldwide will increase 45% - from 7.6 million this year to 17 million by 2030 if more isn’t done to tackle this urgent issue. At the same time the WHO said that up to 40% of all cancer deaths can potentially be avoided with better awareness and prevention.

This Wednesday, February 3, 2010 at a meeting of the House Ways & Means Committee Congressman Higgins addressed the issue of federal cancer funding with the Director for the Office of management and Budget, Peter Orszag. ( click here to see video)  The Congressman commended the President’s inclusion of $1 billion more for National Institutes of Health research in the FY 2011 budget but emphasized more must be done.

During his testimony Congressman Higgins said, “In the previous ten years cancer funding languished and when you factor in inflation there was a loss of funding. The only failure in cancer research is when we quit, or when we are forced to quit because of lack of funding.  Cancer research is a continuum, it needs to be maintained, we can’t just start and stop.”

Last year Congressman Higgins introduced the Cancer Drug Coverage Parity Act (H.R. 2366), a bill that would make access to “smart drugs” easier and more affordable by requiring the same reimbursement rates for drugs administered orally as those taken through injection or IV.  The legislation is supported by the National Patient Advocate Foundation as well as the International Myeloma Foundation, an international organization dedicated to bone marrow cancer causes.

“We need to make sure the reimbursement paradigm matches the science for cancer treatment and care,” said Congressman Higgins. “This legislation is important to providing cancer patients with greater access to life saving treatments and a better overall quality of life.”

Congressman Higgins noted that cancer research funding not only sets us on a course toward the goal of eliminating death and suffering from cancer but it has a simulative effect on the Western New York economy.  “Breakthrough research is happening everyday along the Buffalo Niagara Medical Campus at facilities like Roswell Park Cancer Institute, the Hauptman Woodward Institute, Kinex Pharmaceuticals and Cleveland Biolabs and this work is creating jobs and economic investment right here in our community.”

Congressman Higgins is a vocal advocate on the need to increase federal funding for cancer research and treatment and has spoken on the issue countless times during Congressional hearings, at local events such as the Ride for Roswell and Carly’s Crossing and national events in the Washington, DC area including One Voice Against Cancer Coalition and Radiation Oncology Conferences.  The Congressman has also supported funding for cancer related projects in Western New York including several initiatives at Roswell Park Cancer Institute in Buffalo and an initiative to provide equipment to WCA Hospital in Jamestown.

For more information on cancer issues, funding and advocacy visit the National Cancer Institute website at www.cancer.gov or the American Cancer Society website at www.cancer.org.