Kidney cancer is one of the ten most common cancers. According to the American Cancer Society, over half a million people in the US live with this disease and 79,000 people will be newly diagnosed in 2022. Sadly, nearly 14,000 people are expected to die of kidney cancer this year. Advancing kidney cancer research to develop new and better treatment options for everyone remains an urgent priority.
The Committee on Appropriations has recognized our community’s needs in the past. Since 2016, Congress has allocated $135 million in funding for research to better understand kidney cancer and identify new treatments and potential cures.
Support like this resulted in tremendous gains for the kidney cancer community. Thirty years ago, people diagnosed with kidney cancer had no treatment options and a bleak future. Today, there are over a dozen approved treatments and clinical trials expand patients’ options even more. Research on a kidney cancer-causing gene was the genesis of the discovery about how our cells adapt to their environment that won two American physician-scientists a 2019 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine and could change how many cancers are treated.
Despite these advances and CDMRP and National Institutes of Health (NIH) funding, kidney cancer remains all too common and deadly.
Your commitment to addressing the burdens of kidney cancer on people like me through robust, sustained research funding is vital for providing access to effective care, support, and hope. I encourage you to do the following:
- $60 million appropriation for the KCRP in Fiscal Year 2023 (FY23)*
-
$46.1 billion appropriation for the NIH or maintain FY22 levels
- Subject to final FY22 levels, increase the NIH budget by $3.5 billion for FY23
- $3 billion appropriation for the Advanced Research Projects Agency – Health (ARPA-H) to support creation and/or standup
- Continue supporting legislative initiatives that support medical research funding
- Continue incorporating patient perspectives in legislative policy matters, particularly those that promote clinical trial development, including diversity in enrollment, and accelerating cures
*in FY21 the KCRP was designated at $50 million
Thank you for your years of service. I am grateful for the work of this Committee and hope that you continue to give this matter your full consideration.
Sincerely,
John Doe
Example 123 Street
Anytown, VA 00000
