This is an archive page. The links are no longer being updated.
Date: Tuesday, June 11, 1996 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact: NCI Press Office (301) 496-6641
The National Cancer Institute (NCI) today released its annual budget proposal, commonly known as the bypass budget, in a radical new format, a slim and streamlined volume that articulates a vision of where cancer research stands today and where it is headed. The new, nontechnical format as well as the new vision reflect fundamental changes over the past ten months in NCI's philosophy, processes, and culture.
"This document speaks to the entire country," said Health and Human Services Secretary Donna E. Shalala. "It gives us all a grounding in the astonishing new knowledge of how cancer cells work and how that knowledge translates into solid hope that we can reduce the awful burden of cancer."
The new budget sets forth estimates of funds needed for the next two fiscal years. Unlike previous budget estimates, the new document outlines two levels of investment. Level 1 is adequate for current cutting-edge research to advance ($2.28 billion in 97 and $2.43 billion in 98). The second level of investment ($2.7 billion in 98) would enable expansion into five crucial new areas of research.
Four of the new research opportunities spring from recent discoveries about the basic biology of cancer cells.
Cancer genetics: Goals in this area are 1) to identify every major human gene that predisposes people to cancer; 2) to use this information to transform medical practice; and 3) to identify and solve psychosocial, ethical, and legal issues associated with cancer genetics.
Preclinical models of cancer: Technical advances in animal genetics "now allow the study of cancer in ways that were impossible even a few years ago," according to the new budget document. The goal here is to breed genetically modified
animals that will aid in research on human cancer based on our emerging knowledge of human cancer genes.
Detection technologies: Here, one goal is to use our new understanding of cancer cells and molecules to detect tumors at the earliest possible stage. Another goal, based on "a quantum leap forward" in the field of imaging over the past quarter century, is to discover and develop new diagnostic imaging techniques and integrate imaging further into clinical practice.
Developmental diagnostics: The goal in this area is to develop diagnostic tests based on a tumor's cells, molecules, and genes, allowing physicians to tailor therapy to that tumor and to predict how it will react to therapy.
The fifth area reflects NCI's belief that progress in cancer research is inextricably tied to the work of individual scientists in laboratories around the country, an "engine of discovery" that must be fueled and maintained.
Investigator-initiated research: The goals here are 1) to accelerate the pace of discovery, and 2) to increase opportunities for individuals to contribute to cancer research.
In each of these areas, the bypass budget sets out a plan for progress. The document also discusses the consequences of waiting versus investing now in these opportunities. "These are milestones we can achieve," said Richard Klausner, M.D., who assumed leadership of the NCI last August, "not promises we cannot keep."
Publication of the bypass budget is an annual event at NCI. Traditionally, the publication has been an encyclopedic and technical volume on Institute programs. This year's budget, just 80 pages long, "is aimed at everyone who has a stake in cancer research, including patients, health professionals, researchers, and policy makers," said Klausner. Not only is the document designed for readers outside the Institute, but it also reflects NCI's drive to bring people into the Institute, as part of its planning and decision making processes. Input from cancer researchers and others outside NCI helped shape the new budget. "To succeed requires the leadership of the NCI to seek and heed the best advice of all who can contribute," the publication concludes. "This document represents the fruit of such advice."
Media representatives may obtain copies of The Nation's Investment in Cancer Research:
A Budget Proposal for Fiscal Years 1997/98 from the NCI Press Office at (301) 496-6641. The document is also available through the NCI's Cancer Information Service at 1-800-4-CANCER (1-800-422-6237).
The Cancer Information Service (CIS), a program of the National Cancer Institute, provides a nationwide telephone service for cancer patients and their families, the public, and health care professionals. CIS information specialists have extensive training in providing up-to-date and understandable information about cancer and cancer research. They can answer questions in English and Spanish and can send printed material. In addition, CIS offices serve specific geographic areas and have information about cancer- related services and resources in their region.
This document is also available through the NCI's CancerFax and CancerNet services, and in the News Section of the PDQ database. To get the document from CancerFax, dial (301) 402 5874 from the handset of your fax machine and follow the recorded instructions to receive the contents list. Individuals who have access to the Internet may access the document on CancerNet, through an electronic mail (E-mail) service or via the National Institutes of Health (NIH) gopher. To get the CancerNet contents list from the E-mail service, send an E-mail message that says "help" in the body of the message to cancernet@icicc.nci.nih.gov. To get the document from CancerNet via the NIH gopher, point your gopher client to gopher.nih.gov and look for CancerNet under "Health and Clinical Information." To get the document from NCI's PDQ database, access PDQ News on the National Library of Medicine's MEDLARS system or consult a medical librarian for assistance. Additional information on this and other research topics may be found on the home page of the NCI's International Cancer Information Center's World Wide Web server located at wwwicic.nci.nih.gov.