Support Breast Cancer Research Funding to Fuel Detection and Treatment Discoveries, Promote Survival

the most common form of cancer among American women and is the second-leading cause of cancer deaths in women, exceeded only by lung cancer. More than 232,000 new cases of invasive breast cancer will be diagnosed in 2014, with about 40,000 women dying of the illness.

Research is one of the strongest tools available in the fight against breast cancer – research-fueled developments in treatment and early detection help account for the decrease in breast cancer-related fatalities.

Funding for breast cancer research has led to the development of lifesaving discoveries – cancer treatment drugs and identifying a genetic link (BRCA1) to the disease. The National Cancer Institute (NCI) reports a steady year-over-year decline of allocated funding for breast cancer. According to the most recent data available, the NCI spent $602 million on breast cancer research in 2012 – a $29 million decrease from the $631 million spent in 2010.

The physicians of the Medical Society of New Jersey strongly urge Congress to increase funding for breast cancer research. Considering the suffering and number of deaths annually from breast cancer, we should not decrease research funding.

The Medical Society of New Jersey (MSNJ) is the oldest professional society in the U.S. comprised of physicians who work to ensure the sanctity of the physician–patient relationship for a healthy New Jersey. MSNJ’s mission is to promote the betterment of public health and the science and art of medicine, to enlighten public opinion in regard to the problems of medicine, and to safeguard the rights of the practitioners of medicine.