Thanks to advances in prevention, screening, and treatment, U.S. cancer mortality rates have progressively decreased for more than 30 years, and childhood cancer mortality rates have decreased even faster. This has resulted in a more than one-third decrease in age-adjusted cancer mortality rates. Since 2000, there have been notable improvements in patient outcomes for several common cancers that traditionally had poor prognoses. These include ovarian cancer, which now has a 5-year survival rate that is more than 50%,1 and lung cancer, whose incidence decreased by more than 30% while its 5-year survival rate almost doubled.2 These advances also mean that the number of cancer survivors is increasing. There are over 18 million cancer survivors today, which is more than 5% of the US population; this number is projected to reach 26 million by 2040.3
Because of these advances, approximately 300,000 Americans who would have died from cancer at 1990 mortality rates will not die from cancer this year.4 However, about 600,000 people will succumb to cancer this year, which indicates the magnitude, urgency, and need to make further progress against this terrible disease.5 Furthermore, the advances have not been uniform for all populations. For example, mortality rates for urban populations have decreased faster than for rural populations, creating a new cancer disparity, while Black men and women continue to have higher incidence and mortality rates for several cancer types. Supporting research to narrow these gaps is an important goal for NCI.
The Fiscal Year 2027 (FY27) Professional Judgment Budget Proposal presents NCI’s assessment of the optimal funding to support the National Cancer Program and help all people live longer, healthier lives. FY27 presents an opportunity for Congress to sustain robust cancer research for the United States, including new funding to modernize and expand cancer clinical trials, increase investments in cancer research grants, ensure a robust future workforce, and develop new ways to prevent cancer and detect it earlier.
There are many opportunities for continued progress. For example, though most anti-cancer drugs are first approved by the FDA as single agents, drug combinations can produce even better outcomes. Evaluations of such regimens have led to recent approvals for new combinations to treat several cancer types, including multiple myeloma, follicular lymphoma, and urothelial carcinoma.
NCI drives progress across the cancer continuum with a long-standing commitment to invest in a broad portfolio of promising, strategic, and rigorous cancer research to prevent and improve cancer care and outcomes for all Americans.
The proposed FY27 budget from NCI supports a balanced cancer research portfolio that saves lives today while building toward tomorrow’s innovations. NIH is shifting to fully funding research grants up front, improving flexibility and long-term planning for investigators. To maintain the same number of awards and ensure stability during this shift, NCI requests an increased budget in FY27.
NCI remains committed to supporting basic science research that unlocks insights into the causes of cancer, cancer biology, and novel targets for intervention, as well as sustained investments in data infrastructure crucial for further accelerating discoveries from basic research to clinical science that directly benefit patients. NCI invests in the ideas, workforce, and infrastructure that sustain cancer research across the country using rigorous, transparent, and trustworthy science. As responsible stewards of federal funding, NCI balances its research portfolio and provides strong oversight to ensure that research directly benefits the American public. Meaningful progress against cancer requires sustained funding growth so NCI can act upon existing and emerging scientific opportunities and build on discoveries made from previous investments.
Cancer does not wait, so neither can we: the opportunities and pressing challenges in cancer research must be supported in FY27 to increase our understanding of how cancer develops and where we can intervene to discover better ways to prevent, detect, diagnose, and treat this disease.