fbpx

Get ready for an exciting announcement for the melanoma community

  • Days
  • Hours
  • Minutes

News & Press

President Signs Bill Increasing Dept. of Defense’s Cancer Research Funding

Statement from Tim Turnham, Executive Director, Melanoma Research Foundation, Regarding Increase in Dept. of Defense's Cancer Research Funding

President Barack Obama on Tuesday signed the $1.1 trillion spending bill that lifted the threat of a government shutdown. Included in this spending bill is $50 million for the Department of Defense’s Peer Reviewed Cancer Research Program (PRCRP). Melanoma is one of eleven cancers eligible to compete for this funding, historically receiving around 20% of the funding pool. Melanoma is the deadliest of all skin cancers and, on behalf of those fighting this disease, the MRF commends President Obama and Congress for recognizing the need to increase resources into advancing medical research that will bring new and better treatment options to our U.S. service members and citizens.
 
This boost in funding and further prioritization of specific cancers, such as melanoma, comes at an important time for the medical research community. Congressional funding through the PRCRP will also soften the blow of reductions in the National Institutes of Health’s (NIH) research budget to progress in treating melanoma. The MRF looks forward to working with experts within the research community to ensure that these newly allocated funds are being used to receive the best benefits for people with melanoma. 
 

###

About Melanoma
Melanoma is one of the fastest growing cancers in the United States and can strike men and women of all ages, all races and skin types. With a one in 50 lifetime risk of developing melanoma, nearly 77,000 Americans are expected to be diagnosed with the disease in 2014, resulting in almost 10,000 deaths. Melanoma is the most common form of cancer for young adults 25- to 29-years-old and the second most common cancer in adolescents and young adults 15- to 29-years-old.

The majority of melanomas occur on the skin; in fact, melanoma is the most serious type of skin cancer. Melanoma can also occur in the eye (ocular, or uveal melanoma), in mucous membranes (mucosal melanoma), or even beneath fingernails or toenails. 

About the Melanoma Research Foundation
The Melanoma Research Foundation (MRF) is the largest independent organization devoted to melanoma. Committed to the support of medical research in finding effective treatments and eventually a cure for melanoma, the MRF also educates patients and physicians about prevention, diagnosis and the treatment of melanoma. The MRF is an active advocate for the melanoma community, helping to raise awareness of this disease and the need for a cure. The MRF’s website is the premier source for melanoma information seekers. More information is available at www.melanoma.org. Find the MRF on Facebook and follow on Twitter.

Media Contact:
Lauren Smith Dyer
202-742-5918 (T)
202-870-8827 (M)
[email protected]