Research Funding Lacking for Cancers With High Mortality Rates

Researchers have identified disparities in cancer research funding from the National Cancer Institute (NCI) and nonprofit organizations. They reported these findings in JCO Oncology Practice.

The researchers evaluated funding for studies of solid tumors and hematologic malignancies between 2015 and 2018. The funding sources were the NCI and 37 nonprofit organizations.

The combined NCI-nonprofit budget was $13.66 billion across all cancers. Cancers with the most funding were breast cancer ($3.75 billion), leukemia ($2.00 billion), and lung cancer ($1.60 billion).

Cancers with the smallest amount of funding were endometrial cancer ($94 million), cervical cancer ($292 million), and liver and bile duct cancers ($348 million).

The researchers noted that, overall, funding by cancer type correlated well with disease incidence but not mortality rate. There were stronger correlations between NCI funding and disease incidence and mortality rate. Nonprofit funding correlated weakly with incidence and did not correlate with mortality rate.

When considering disease incidence, well-funded cancers included breast cancer, leukemia, lymphoma, pancreatic cancer, and ovarian cancer. Underfunded cancers included melanoma, colorectal cancer, lung cancer, prostate cancer, uterine cancer, and liver and bile duct cancers.

When considering mortality rates, well-funded cancers included breast cancer, leukemia, lymphoma, and prostate cancer. Underfunded cancers included melanoma, colorectal cancer, pancreatic cancer, liver and bile duct cancers, lung cancer, cervical cancer, ovarian cancer, and uterine cancer.

The researchers noted that funding for a particular cancer strongly correlated with the number of ongoing clinical trials for that cancer.

The researchers also compared funding between Black and White patients. NCI funding correlated well with incidence among White patients but less so among Black patients. Nonprofit funding correlated weakly with incidence among White patients and did not correlate with incidence among Black patients.

“This study shows there are disparities in cancer research and advocacy funding and that less funding strongly correlates with fewer clinical trials in a particular disease,” the researchers concluded.

Disclosures: One study author declared affiliations with biotech, pharmaceutical, and/or device companies. Please see the original reference for a full list of disclosures.

This article originally appeared on Cancer Therapy Advisor