Can Biden’s ‘moonshot’ cut cancer deaths in half in 25 years? He says that’s doable.
cancer deaths in half over the next 25 years as part of a government initiative that will focus on improving cancer treatment and prevention.
Biden, who has made “ending cancer as we know it” a priority for his administration, vowed to “supercharge” the “Cancer Moonshot” initiative that he led during his final year as vice president under Barack Obama.
“We can do this. We can end cancer as we know it,” Biden said in his announcement at the White House on Wednesday.
“This can really be an American moment,” the president said, in which the U.S. proves to the world “that we can do really big things.”
“The goal is to cut the cancer death rate in half in the next 25 years,” Biden said. “It’s bold, it’s ambitious, but it’s completely doable.”
The new initiative includes the creation of a White House Cancer Cabinet and mobilizes multiple government departments and agencies to set goals for improving cancer detection and prevention.
More:Fact check: False claim that cancer has spiked as a result of COVID-19 vaccines
More:Biden touched by Kosovo’s medal for late son Beau
Biden and first lady Jill Biden also called for improved access to cancer screenings and early detection. Regular cancer screenings can catch the disease early, when treatment is more effective, yet Americans have missed more than 9.5 million cancer screenings as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.
3.5 million cancer deaths prevented in recent decades, but disparities are ‘alarming,’ report says
More:50 years after the US declared war against cancer, the fight continues. These are the 10 biggest victories.
For Biden, the fight against cancer is personal. His son, Beau, died of brain cancer in 2015 at age 46.
The next year, Obama called on Biden during his State of the Union address to lead the “Cancer Moonshot” during the final year of his administration, with the goal of making 10 years of progress toward a cure in five years.
The 21st Century Cures Act, a major health-care bill that Obama signed into law just weeks before he left office, authorized $1.8 billion in funding for the program over seven years to accelerate progress in cancer prevention and screening as well as research to improve the care of cancer patients.
Late-stage colon cancer showing up in more younger adults. ‘Get screened,’ doctor urges
More:Lawmakers pen letter to CDC to address decline in breast cancer screenings due to COVID
Biden continued his crusade against cancer after he left the vice president’s office. He started the nonprofit Biden Cancer Initiative in 2017 to speed up research on the disease. The program ceased operations two years later after Biden announced he would run for president.
Ending cancer as we know it? National Cancer Institute Director Ned Sharpless lays out his vision