Obama cancer plan criticized for not focusing on prevention

President Barack Obama’s commitment to increased funding for cancer research has drawn praise from many, but a group of doctors and advocates known as the Cancer Prevention Coalition says it falls short by failing to direct the National Cancer Institute to publicize information about known carcinogens and how to avoid them.

Obama’s cancer plan would coordinate responsibilities between the National Cancer Institute, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the Centers for Medicaid and Medicare and the Food and Drug Administration and increase funding.

“While the plan reflects strong emphasis on oncology, disturbingly no reference is made to prevention, and the wide range of avoidable causes of cancer,” Dr. Samuel Epstein of the Cancer Prevention Coalition said in a statement last week.

According to the CPC the Nation Cancer Institute’s focus on promoting innovative treatment has involved the creation and promotion of expensive drugs that are often ineffective. The group noted that the U.S. spends five times more per year on chemotherapy for patients although survival rates are similar.

The group wrote:

Disturbingly, the NCI has still failed to develop, let alone publicize, any listing or registry of avoidable exposures to a wide range of carcinogens. These include: some pharmaceuticals; high dose diagnostic radiation; occupational; environmental; and ingredients in consumer products — food, household products, and cosmetics and personal care products. The NCI has also failed to respond, other than misleadingly or dismissively, to prior Congressional requests for such information.

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Clearly, the more cancer is prevented, the less there is to treat. As importantly, this will also be of major help in achieving President Obama’s goal “to lower health care costs”.