Finding Hope In Clinical Trials
- The U.S. National Cancer Institute (NCI) has experienced a budget cut of $96million, leaving the 2024 fiscal year allocation of $7.2billion—leaving critics worried that “breakthroughs” in research will be less likely. Despite the changes and worries, clinical trials are still receiving a significant amount of funding and continue to provide hope for the future.
- “NCI will also continue to expand and modernize clinical trials to reach more people, so that everyone benefits, no matter their demographics. Through implementation science, NCI aims to better understand how to ensure current and new standards of cancer care reach all patients equitably. All of these efforts depend on a cancer research workforce that reflects the populations we serve,” the NCI explains in it’s 2024 budget proposal.
- “To that end, NCI will expand its efforts to recruit more early-stage investigators from diverse backgrounds, further leverage existing programs that train members of underrepresented groups, and drive cultural change at the institution level that embraces equity, inclusion, and diversity of thought.”
- If you’re looking for a clinical trial, check out our SurvivorNet Clinical Trial Finder. Clinical trials are crucial when it comes to advancing scientific research and can be life-saving for children and adults with diseases like cancer.
- Clinical trials can be an option for people with cancer at many points during the treatment process. Your doctor may have spoken with you about possibly enrolling in a trial if you have advanced disease or if there’s a drug that’s currently considered investigational that may work better than the standard for you.
The NCI states on its website, “The Further Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2024 (H.R.2882), provides NCI a total appropriation of $7.22 billion, an increase of $120 million compared to the interim budget provided under the Continuing Resolution.
Read MoreEveryone has a role to play in the fight against cancer. NCI recently released its Annual Plan & Budget Proposal, which describes a framework for accelerating progress to end cancer as we know it for all people. Read it here. https://t.co/PUNDPw5FSs #NCIFuture #Every1HasARole pic.twitter.com/RKjyvZJdPZ
— National Cancer Institute (@theNCI) September 18, 2024
In response to the NCI’s budget plan post on X, formerly known as Twitter, one social media user commented, “I applaud the NCI for their tireless efforts to combat cancer, and I’m particularly excited about the focus on symptom science and revolutionizing clinical trials.
“I’d love to see more research on the economic and social impacts of cancer care on families.”
However, not everyone has hope in the NCI’s financial plans. Another X user, dubbed Outperform Cancer, complained, “It’s not just a budget cut, it’s the perpetuation of a viciously inefficient cycle.
“You cannot expect breakthroughs when teams are assembled one year and disbanded the next. No one in the private sector could run a business this way and be successful.”
RELATED: SurvivorNet’s Guide To Clinical Trials: What Are They And Are They Right for You?
Another person wrote, “I’m concerned about the impact of these budget cuts on young investigators and innovative research projects. How can we ensure their work continues to thrive despite funding constraints?”
According to Nature.com, due to a two-year agreement being put in place for the U.S. Congress to limit U.S. debt, Jon Retzlaff, chief policy officer at the American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) in Pennsylvania, thinks its highly unlikely to see a budget increase for 2025.
Retzladd reportedly said, “We’re likely going to be in this position again next year. It’s very tough to go in and convince lawmakers that this is one area they can increase when, if they do that, they’ll have to cut many other programs dramatically.”
As per that report, grant applications to the NCI have risen by 40 percent over the past 10 years.
It's not just a budget cut, it's the perpetuation of a viciously inefficient cycle. You cannot expect breakthroughs when teams are assembled one year and disbanded the next. No one in the private sector could run a business this way and be successful. https://t.co/RqzO9vVnO4
— Outperform Cancer (@marybethgilliam) September 24, 2024
In response to the new budget, proposal, the Director of the National Cancer Institute, Dr. Kimryn Rathmell, stated in her director’s message on the NCI’s website, “Unfortunately, research has not yet made enough progress for the more than 600,000 people expected to die from cancer in the United States in 2024. There is still much more to do for the more than 18 million people alive in our country today who have heard those frightening words, ‘You have cancer.’
“We are so close to transforming cancer from something people fear to a condition that we manage, prevent, or cure. For instance, this year, we achieved the first cellular therapy approved for a solid tumor, melanoma. This treatment, pioneered by NCI funding, has also shown promise against advanced colorectal cancer, advanced breast cancer, and even glioblastoma.”
Her statement continued, “NCI research is also illuminating artificial intelligence’s (AI) potential to tell us which treatments are most likely to work, enhance screening for precancers before they progress to cancer, and help find some of the hardest cancers to detect early. Approaches like these could greatly improve outcomes.
“We are on the doorstep of much more progress. The rapid pace of cancer research discovery and innovation, the availability of powerful technology and infrastructure, and a cadre of talented people provide us with extraordinary opportunities for more lifesaving advances.”
RELATED: Clinical Trials and What Statistics Really Mean
She added, “It is critical that scientists have access to accurate data, representative of all patient populations, to engineer new machine learning and AI algorithms that predict the best interventions. We must revolutionize clinical research so that promising approaches and discoveries are tested in clinical studies that are accessible, inclusive, nimble, and able to rapidly answer the most pressing questions for all populations.
“Finally, we must continue to generate the foundational scientific evidence necessary to strengthen cancer prevention, enhance screening, and deliver optimal care to everyone confronted by cancer.”
"We are so close to transforming cancer from something that people fear to a condition that we can manage, prevent, or cure," writes @NCIDirector Dr. Kimryn Rathmell in NCI's latest Annual Plan & Budget Proposal. Read her Director's Message. https://t.co/FnJagzJp5M #NCIFuture pic.twitter.com/PLsTdTgLPj
— National Cancer Institute (@theNCI) September 4, 2024
Earlier this year, Dr. Rathmell said, “The FY24 paylines will enable us to fund outstanding cancer science. However, making these commitments to new, competing grants, while also managing rising operating costs in an era of high inflation, means that we must find cost savings.
“Therefore, NCI will pay most continuing, noncompeting grants—that is, years 2 through 5 of a typical 5-year grant—at 95% of the committed level, an improvement on the interim policy of 90%. Find more details about our funding policy from NCI’s Division of Extramural Activities.”
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Understanding Clinical Trials
Clinical trials are available for eligible cancer patients if other treatment options don’t seem to work. A clinical trial can be defined as a research study that compares the most effective known treatment for a specific type or stage of a disease with a new approach.
Participating in one does not guarantee you will get the most effective treatment and they are certainly not for everyone, but it does give you the chance to potentially access new, cutting-edge treatments while advancing science.
Before getting involved in a clinical trial, talk with your doctor(s) and consider the following general risks of enrolling:
- The risk of harm and/or side effects due to experimental treatments
- Researchers may be unaware of some potential side effects for experimental treatments
- The treatment may not work for you, even if it has worked for others
“Clinical trials are critical to the development of new therapies, and as we live through this extraordinary revolution in genomics, immunotherapy and targeted therapy, it’s clear that one of the most pressing needs for patients, clinical trials sponsors, and researchers is simply a better way to find patients,” SurvivorNet CEO Steve Alperin said.
“Even one percent more people successfully enrolled in clinical trials can change the world.”
Why I’d Choose a Clinical Trial For Myself
Your doctor may have spoken with you about possibly enrolling in a trial if you have advanced disease or if there’s a drug that’s currently considered investigational that may work better than the standard for you.
A lot of patients may feel uncomfortable about the thought of participating in a trial, but the trials can provide amazing opportunities for patients. For one thing, they give patients access to a bevy of new drugs that are currently being developed by pharmaceutical companies.
If participating in a clinical trial is something you think you may be interested in, the government has a list of trials that are currently ongoing. SurvivorNet also has a tool to help you find trials for your particular disease.
Clinical Trials Can be Life-Saving for Some
Who Can Sign Up for Clinical Trials?
If you’re interested in taking part in a clinical trial, the first thing to do is to speak to your doctor about the possibility of a trial. Blindly searching trials on the internet might not be the best advice available; using either the government’s clinical trials database or SurvivorNet’s resources specifically for cancer patients is your best option.
However, just because you’re willing to take part in a clinical trial doesn’t necessarily mean you will be able to join. These trials have specific criteria that patients need to meet in order to take part. At the end of the day, even though these trials can have incredible results and provide you with access to cutting-edge therapies, these are controlled experiments.
For each trial, there will be certain inclusion and exclusion criteria.
Why Do People Get Excluded From Clinical Trials?
Sometimes, patients may be excluded from certain trials if their cancer has spread to their brain. If the metastases aren’t under control, the patient may be unable to participate because researchers are concerned that they won’t be able to complete the whole study.
There are options for people who may not be eligible for the clinical trials they wish to participate in, but still want to try the therapies. A few years ago, the U.S. passed something called “Right to Try” legislation. This gives terminally ill people access to highly experimental drugs that are in “phase one” of the clinical trial process.
Your doctor may also request access to a single patient IND (investigational new drug) on your behalf, which can also give access to treatments that the FDA has not yet approved.
Contributing: SurvivorNet Staff
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