A major pan-European survey published in PLoS Medicine has found that there is inadequate public funding of cancer research relative to the actual burden of cancer in Europe.
The European Cancer Research Funding Survey found that across the entire European Union, the average public spending on cancer research was only 2.56 Euros (US$3.30) per person, compared with 17.63 Euros (US$22.76) per person in the United States. As a percentage of GDP, the US spent four times as much as the average across the entire European survey.
The survey authors, Seth Eckhouse (Chief Project Officer, European Cancer Research Managers Forum) and Richard Sullivan (Director, Clinical Programmes and Centres, Cancer Research UK), say that public funding for cancer research--from governments, charities, and European organizations--is crucially important for reducing the cancer burden. "This funding," they say, "focused on the needs of patients with cancer rather than the commercial or economic advantage, is essential to deliver the myriad of solutions that cancer demands, from new strategies to prevent cancer, to therapies and improvements in patients' quality of life."
Citation: Eckhouse S, Sullivan R (2006) A survey of public funding of cancer research in the European Union. PLoS Med 3(7): e267.
PLEASE ADD THE LINK TO THE PUBLISHED ARTICLE IN ONLINE VERSIONS OF YOUR REPORT: http://dx.doi.org/10.1371/journal.pmed.0030267
PRESS-ONLY PREVIEW OF THE ARTICLE: http://www.plos.org/press/plme-03-07-sullivan.pdf
Related images for press use: http://www.plos.org/press/plme-03-07-sullivan.jpg
Caption: Comparison of direct cancer research spend between EU-15 only and the United States of America as percentage of GDP
CONTACT:
Richard Sullivan
Cancer Research UK
Clinical & Translational Research Directorate
61 Lincoln's Inn Fields
London, London WC2A 3PX
United Kingdom
+44 2070616053
Richard.Sullivan@cancer.org.uk
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