The MRF Commends Increase in Government Cancer Research Funding

UPDATE: You can view the PRCRP Funding Opportunities and Application Review Process Webinar to learn more about the application process! 

Congress Increases Military Cancer Research Funding to $80 Million

WASHINGTON, DC – Today a major appropriations bill was signed into law for fiscal year 2018, which includes a significant funding increase for the Department of Defense Peer Reviewed Cancer Research Program (PRCRP). The Melanoma Research Foundation (MRF) was instrumental in the creation of this program in 2009. The new bill includes $80 million for the PRCRP, increasing the funding level from the previous fiscal year by $20 million. The PRCRP was created to address the impact of cancer on service members, their families and the American public by funding innovative basic, applied, and translational research for cancers including melanoma. The PRCRP has since funded $250 million for over a dozen cancer types, and to date, melanoma researchers working as individuals and teams have been granted $50 million through a competitive peer review process.

As the largest independent organization dedicated to melanoma, the Melanoma Research Foundation strongly advocates for increased government funding for cancer research through programs like the PRCRP. Earlier this month, the MRF hosted nearly one hundred melanoma patients, survivors and caregivers from across the country at its annual Advocacy Summit & Hill Day in Washington, DC. These dedicated volunteer advocates held meetings with lawmakers to share their stories and urge their representatives to support initiatives including PRCRP funding. With this increase in critically needed research funding, the MRF commends the powerful advocacy of our community and applauds lawmakers on both sides of the aisle for their efforts to advance the pace of cancer research for both members of the military and the American public.

“This bipartisan bill is truly a significant accomplishment and we are grateful to our powerful community of advocates and our friends and partners at the Melanoma Research Alliance for their help in making this a reality,” said Steve Silverstein, Board Chair for the Melanoma Research Foundation. “It is imperative that melanoma research remains a national priority and this legislation will allow researchers to seize upon the momentum of recent years to bring new and better treatments to our community.”

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About Melanoma
Melanoma is one of the fastest growing cancers in the United States and can strike men and women of all ages, races and skin types. In 2018, nearly 91,000 Americans are expected to be diagnosed with Stage I-IV melanoma and another 87,000 will be diagnosed with melanoma in situ – totaling over 178,000 total diagnoses. Every hour of every day, one American dies from melanoma. 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 Twitter.

Download a PDF copy of this statement here.

Media Contact:
Christine Diven
202-591-4003
[email protected]