Lori J. Pierce, MD, FASTRO, FASCO
On September 12, Lori J. Pierce, MD, FASTRO, FASCO, Board Chair of the Association for Clinical Oncology (ASCO), made the following statement:
“President John F. Kennedy’s historic speech that inspired our nation and an entire generation of Americans to achieve manned space exploration underscored the courage and commitment it would take to accomplish this then-audacious goal: ‘We choose to go to the moon in this decade and do the other things, not because they are easy, but because they are hard.’
Marking the 60th Anniversary of President Kennedy’s Moonshot Address, President Biden, today, underscored how those words are as true as ever as the President announced major steps forward to achieve the goals of the Cancer Moonshot.
Importantly, the President noted that progress has been made as a result of the past 6 years of federal funding and the unified efforts of oncologists, cancer researchers, patients, the Administration, and Congress—all made possible through the 21st Century Cures Act. Indeed, for decades, ASCO and other stakeholders have long been working towards speeding advances in cancer prevention; screening; diagnosis; treatment; patient access to clinical trials and care; supporting the next generation and early-career oncology researchers; and unlocking oncology insights from real-world data to improve health outcomes for all patients with cancer. But this investment and collaboration needs to continue so that we equitably deliver on the advancements envisioned by the Cancer Moonshot.
This landmark initiative offers the cancer community an opportunity to focus on equity, diversity, and inclusion in cancer research and care, as well as equitable access to breakthrough technologies. ASCO supports the President’s additional efforts to solidify supply chains and ensure U.S. competitiveness in biomedical technologies to improve health outcomes. Improved access to high-quality, equitable care for all patients with cancer means access to innovative treatments that are a result of global oncology research and investments.
Finally, we applaud the President’s efforts to continue the implementation of the Advanced Research Projects Agency for Health (ARPA-H). ARPA-H has the potential to further innovate and expedite research, particularly for all cancers and in collaboration with the goals of the Cancer Moonshot. We look forward to working with the new inaugural director of ARPA-H, Renee Wegrzyn, PhD, to improve the health outcomes for all patients with cancer through transformative, high-risk, high-reward research that fills gaps in the current biomedical research enterprise.
The cancer community is unified in its commitment to end cancer as we know it. The President has injected new energy toward achieving this ambitious goal, and ASCO is proud to be part of this effort.”
