HHS has released a national cancer plan, developed by the National Institutes of Health's National Cancer Institute, that aims to "reduce the cancer death rate by at least half within 25 years," which is the goal of President Joe Biden's Cancer Moonshot initiative.
The plan centers around eight goals to achieve the Cancer Moonshot's reduced death rate and improve experiences nationwide for cancer patients and their families.
"The National Cancer Plan is a vision and a roadmap for how we can make faster progress against this all-too-common disease," Monica Bertagnolli, MD, director of the National Cancer Institute, said in an April 3 press statement.
The National Cancer Plans' eight major focuses are to:
- Prevent cancer
- Detect cancers early
- Develop effective treatments
- Eliminate inequities
- Deliver optimal care
- Engage every person
- Maximize data utility
- Optimize the workforce
Each of the eight pillars is aligned with strategies that call for "collaboration across all sectors of society, traditional and non-traditional, to work together to make faster progress against cancer."
Additionally, as cancer disproportionately affects individuals who belong to underrepresented groups, NCI-funded research programs will seek to "foster the inclusion of underrepresented racial and ethnic groups as well as individuals with disabilities and from disadvantaged socioeconomic backgrounds" as part of the collective strategies outlined in the plan.