Like all great adventures, it began as an idea. What if the United States could make huge advancements in the fight against cancer in a short amount of time? How could that be accomplished? What are the metrics? How much would it cost? Who could direct such an effort? 

As the Affordable Care Act is challenged in court, 12 Republican Senators signed a letter insisting that pre-existing conditions be covered in any new healthcare laws moving forward. Despite initial praise for the GOP, many patient advocacy groups, including the American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network, have voiced concerns about the efforts being far too little and far too late. On September 4, 2018, more than 25 patient advocacy groups came together and released a statement condemning a recent Republican bill stating it didn’t provide enough protections for pre-existing conditions, compared to what’s currently covered under the ACA. The advocacy groups noted the bill's outlying weaknesses and pushed for stronger reassurances.

In coffee shops around the country, between clicking cups and grinding coffee beans, former second lady of the United States, Jill Biden, EdD, is quietly gathering small groups of oncology nurses, care coordinators, social workers, and family members who support patients with cancer to discuss the obstacles facing caregivers throughout the cancer journey. As part of the Biden Cancer Initiative’s (BCI’s) continued work to improve oncology care, this coterie of caregivers is heralding the trials and triumphs that come with addressing the physical, social, emotional, and spiritual needs of patients with cancer.

ONS President Susan Schneider, PhD, RN, AOCN^®, FAAN, was appointed to the Biden Cancer Initiative board of directors, among other experts in health care, business, finance, and technology. The Cancer Initiative also named ONS Chief Executive Officer Brenda Nevidjon MSN, RN, FAAN, to its advisory committee, comprised of 25 other experts aiming to transform the way cancer is detected, diagnosed, and treated by implementing new solutions to complex healthcare problems.  

Since its initial announcement, the National Cancer Moonshot Initiative—dubbed the Biden Cancer Initiative—has captivated the scientific, patient advocacy, and provider communities with possibilities for advancements in cancer treatments and cures. The cancer moonshot continues to maintain bipartisan support, as all involved are committed to making a decade’s worth of progress in just half the time.

The future of oncology care hinges on the implementation of new sciences, the collaboration of researchers, and timeliness with which healthcare professionals can integrate change into practice, according to a new report released by Lancet Oncology.

In one bold declaration during his final State of the Union Address in 2016, President Barack Obama raised our hopes to a singular goal—ending cancer as we know it—as he announced the National Cancer Moonshot Initiative, now called the Biden Cancer Initiative. Grounded in real research with tangible results, the intent was not even that daring: it was more realistic. Eradicating cancer, now understood to be many different aspects of the same disease, in five years was unlikely, but rather the goal was to achieve in five years what previously would take a decade.

“Congress is working together on a nonpartisan issue that will have a profound effect on the lives of all Americans. H.R. 6, the 21st Century Cures Act, will bring our health care innovation infrastructure into the 21st Century, delivering hope for patients and loved ones and providing necessary resources to researchers to continue their efforts to uncover the next generation of cures and treatments,” Chairman Fred Upton (R-MI) and Representative Diana DeGette (D-CO) discussed their vision for the 21st Century Cures initiative in April 2014.

The National Institutes of Health (NIH) recently released the Annual Report to the Nation on the Status of Cancer, 1975–2014. According to the report, cancer death rates fell for 11 of the 16 most common cancers in men and 13 of the 16 most common cancers in women. Death rates fell for female breast cancer, lung cancer, colorectal cancer, and prostate cancers, among others. The report also notes that incidences of cancer decreased in men but plateaued for women in the same time period.

To a crowd of more than 1,300 attendees at the South by Southwest Conference (SXSW) in Austin, TX, on March 12, 2017, former Vice President Joe Biden announced that the Biden Foundation, his new nonprofit organization, would be continuing the work of the National Cancer Moonshot Initiative, which he led during his final year as vice president.

In collaboration with the former President Obama’s health policy team and the Cancer Moonshot, myself and several other members of ONS were invited to attend a community oncology event as part of the White House’s Making Health Care Better series.  The event, “Addressing the Cancer Challenge: Progress in Research, Prevention, Coverage, and Quality,” took place at the White House complex on January 11, 2017. It was by invitation only from the White House Cancer Moonshot Task Force.

After the dust settled from the presidential election, Congress returned to Washington to complete some remaining legislative work before the new year. Among the newly approve legislation, the 21st Century Cures Act was passed, and it aims to have major implications for expanding oncology research in the coming months and years.

Your ONS Board of Directors met face to face in January for a rich and productive meeting. Following are highlights from our discussions.
 

On October 17, 2016, Vice President Joe Biden addressed President Obama and the rest of the United States as he presented the National Cancer Moonshot taskforce’s report of the work that’s been accomplished since its inception in January 2016. The report highlights a number of strategic initiatives, including the 10 recommended areas of scientific advancement the Blue Ribbon Panel identified in September.

Having recently been appointed the U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA’s) point-person on Vice President Joe Biden’s Cancer Moonshot Initiative, Richard Pazdur, MD, the FDA’s acting director of the Oncology Center of Excellence (OCE), blogged about the agency’s efforts to make sure patients and providers know about the progress in cancer prevention and treatment.

In January 2016, President Obama appointed Vice President Joe Biden as the chair of a new national initiative to “end cancer as we know it.” Dubbed the Cancer Moonshot, the goal is to make the same advances in five years that would usually take 10 to achieve.

Clinical trials can be a great source of valuable information to drive oncology forward. Unfortunately, only 5% of eligible patients enroll in clinical trials. The National Cancer Moonshot Initiative and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) have both set in motion plans to increase clinical trial participation with the hopes that oncology advancements make it to patients faster and more efficiently.

On September 7, 2016, the National Cancer Advisory Board (NCAB) and the director of the National Cancer Institute released a report outlining the recommendations provided by the intensive work done by the National Cancer Moonshot’s Blue Ribbon Panel. ONS member and past president Deborah K. Mayer, PhD, RN, AOCN®, FAAN, was part of the Blue Ribbon Panel working on the recommendations and knows that nurses will play an integral role in implementing these changes.

The National Cancer Institute has partnered with Foundation Medicine, Inc., in a new effort to expand the understanding of genomics and clinical data. This is a core component of the National Cancer Moonshot Initiative that President Obama announced in January 2016.

In June of 2016, ONS and other partners of the Friends of Cancer Research Organization called for the U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA) formation of an Oncology Center of Excellence (OCE). In the weeks since, the FDA has announced the formation of the OCE and appointed the program’s lead.

Cancer Moonshot Summit Kicked Off in DC

June 29, 2016, marked the first official Cancer Moonshot Summit in Washington, DC. Hosted by Vice President Joe Biden, the summit brought together the nation’s leading oncology experts, researchers, healthcare professionals, survivors, private industry professionals and more. Many from the cancer community convened in DC with the hopes of advancing progress towards a cure.

President Obama, during his final State of the Union address on January 12, 2016, said, “Let’s make America the country that cures cancer once and for all.” From that challenge, the National Cancer Moonshot Initiative was born with Vice President Joe Biden appointed to the helm. A new national endeavor to develop massive strides in cancer research and treatment would take the brightest minds and most dedicated workers in oncology and throughout the country.

Since the announcement of the National Cancer Moonshot, there have been great ideas abound. But how do you get them to the right people who can best direct federal funding for cancer research? The National Cancer Institute (NCI) has helped streamline the process by creating a new online platform for submitting ideas to the Blue Ribbon Panel (BRP).

Discover all the happenings on Capitol Hill and how ONS continues to advocate for oncology nurses in the national healthcare arena.

Political policies, especially those concerning health care and cancer care, are constantly changing. It’s hard to stay up to date with the constant evolution of events on Capitol Hill. ONS works to make certain that oncology nurses are represented during discussions that impact their practice, as well as the whole healthcare arena. Learn more about the happenings on the Hill that potentially could impact oncology nurses.

In his last state of the union address of his presidency, on January 12, President Obama announced a new “moonshot” funding plan and asked Vice President Biden to lead the initiative to eliminate cancer as we know it. Some of us remember the original moonshot funding request made by President Kennedy, almost 55 years ago, to put a man on the moon before the decade ended and other initiatives. The cancer moonshot goal is to achieve a decade’s worth of advances in five years. Critical to this happening is the elimination of siloes.

Capitol Hill is a dynamic, fluid atmosphere, especially for oncology nursing advocacy. ONS is constantly working to provide nurses with a voice at a federal level by representing them in political arenas in Washington, DC, and around the country. Find out what ONS does to advocate for its members and oncology nurses across the United States.

In his final State of the Union address, President Obama announced a national initiative to be coordinated by Vice President Joe Biden that is being referred to as the “cancer moonshot.” The goal is to cure cancer, or at least to make major advances in attempt to better understand cancer, its elements, and how best to defeat the disease.