President Biden’s renewed focus on the Cancer Moonshot is welcome news. The President’s plan to reduce cancer mortality by 50 percent over 25 years will require unprecedented collaboration and innovation – a vision that is core to our mission at Sarah Cannon. We are unwavering in our commitment to partnering with institutions and organizations around the world to advance the fight against cancer for all people facing this disease.
- We must reduce the number of people dying from cancer. Reducing cancer-related deaths begins with early detection. With the COVID-19 pandemic, people may have had concerns about going to a medical facility for care. But cancer doesn’t stop in the time of COVID-19, and it’s important people continue to be proactive about their health - especially when it comes to cancer - as screening has been proven to save lives. We are also committed to studying new technologies using blood testing to find cancers at earlier stages as well as more difficult to detect cancers for which there are no other screening tests.
- We must continue to be pioneers of innovative cancer treatments so that every person may benefit from the personalized treatment plan that’s right for them. We have more insights into the genetic mutations driving specific types of cancer, which can support treatment decisions, and potentially one day help physicians keep track of disease status using blood testing. We are seeing more breakthrough developments in immunotherapy, a type of treatment that teaches the body’s own immune system to identify and fight cancer. New immune-based strategies such as combination approaches and vaccines are providing new ways to target and treat a person’s specific cancer.
- We must continue to drive access. We know 85% of people seek cancer care in their community. Sarah Cannon brings cutting-edge therapies through clinical trials and integrated cancer programs to hundreds of thousands of people close to home, so they can stay with their families and friends during their treatment. Nurse navigators are central to bringing our mission to life, removing barriers to care, improving care coordination and patient satisfaction, as well as identifying patients eligible for clinical trials.
It is imperative that we build on the foundation created by the Cancer Moonshot, and commit to achieve these ambitious goals, together.