The President and First lady's
Cancer Moonshot
ending cancer as we know it
The President and First Lady reignited the Biden Cancer Moonshot to mobilize a national effort to end cancer as we know it.
We’re building a world where the word ‘cancer’ loses its power, a diagnosis isn’t a death sentence, we prevent cancer before it starts, we catch cancer early so people live longer and healthier lives, and patients and families don’t have to navigate their cancer journey alone.
Cancer touches every American in some way, and is still the second leading cause of death in America despite the progress we’ve made in recent decades. By bringing together the federal government, health care providers, researchers, patients, caregivers, advocates, and the public and private sectors, the Cancer Moonshot is dramatically accelerating progress against cancer.
The Cancer Moonshot is mobilizing efforts toward achieving two clear goals that the President and First Lady set: To prevent more than 4 million cancer deaths by 2047 and to improve the experience of people who are touched by cancer.
We can make real progress toward ending cancer as we know it. It will take all of us doing our part. Join us.
Progress of the Cancer Moonshot
The Cancer Moonshot has spurred tremendous action across the federal government and from the public and private sectors, building a strong foundation for the work ahead. To date, the Cancer Moonshot has announced more than 120 new programs, policies, and resources to address five priority actions. 225 private companies, non-profits, academic institutions, and patient groups have also stepped up with new actions and collaborations.
- The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) newly offers genetic testing to every veteran who may need it and make lung cancer screenings available in every VA facility nationwide, which will help save the lives of the nearly 5,000 veterans who die from lung cancer every year. Additionally, VA is taking action to expand at-home screenings for colorectal cancer, the second leading cause of cancer death in America, for more than one million veterans nationwide.
- The Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) is investing over $25 million to federally-qualified health centers (FQHCs) through their Accelerating Cancer Screening (AxCS) Initiative to facilitate access to life-saving cancer screenings and early detection services for underserved populations with a focus on equity.
- The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) issued $243 million in grants as part of a greater than $1 billion commitment to advance national cancer prevention and control through cancer screening, registry, and control programs reaching every state, and many U.S. territories, and tribal organizations.
- The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) announced a national coverage determination (NCD) that expands coverage for lung cancer screening with low dose computed tomography (LDCT) to improve health outcomes for people with lung cancer.
- CMS and the Tri-Agencies of Health & Human Services (HHS), Labor (DOL), and Treasury (USDT) improved access to colon cancer screening by ensuring that patients with private insurance and people with Medicare don’t pay more for colonoscopies following a positive at-home screening test.
- The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) and the Department of Defense (DoD) Uniformed Services University have joined with the National Cancer Institute’s (NCI) Cancer Research Screening Network, to bring trials directly to military families and veterans. The first use of this network will be NCI’s Vanguard, a landmark study of multi-cancer detection tests, which will launch in 2024.
- The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), as part of implementation of the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, dedicated more than $1 billion for cleanup projects at more than 100 toxic Superfund sites in communities across the country, and committed $10 billion to help states address emerging contaminants. This year, EPA also banned ongoing uses of chrysotile asbestos, the only known form of asbestos currently used in or imported to the United States, and took action and invested in communities to protect Americans from the harmful health impacts of PFAS, so-called forever chemicals.
- VA is leading the implementation of the bipartisan Sergeant First Class Heath Robinson Honoring our Promise to Address Comprehensive Toxics Act of 2022 (PACT). Through the PACT Act, the Biden-Harris Administration is making care and benefits available to veterans battling over 300 medical conditions, including more than 100 cancers. With President Biden’s leadership, VA is expanding the types of cancers for which veterans can get disability benefits if exposed to radiation, burn pits, or water contamination. VA has delivered nearly $516 million in PACT Act benefits to veterans with cancer between August 2022 and March 2024 and has screened more than 5.25 million veterans for toxic exposures, received more than 1.43 million PACT Act claims, and granted toxic exposure benefits to more than 720,000 veterans and survivors.
- The CDC Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry released updated Guidelines for Examining Unusual Patterns of Cancer and Environmental Concerns, to help states investigate and address patterns of disease in communities.
- DOD has expanded a signature clinical research program, the Applied Proteogenomics Organizational Learning and Outcomes (APOLLO) network, to all its hospitals and to all cancers, and has launched a new program with the goal of understanding the impact of service-related toxic exposure on the development of cancer in members of the military. In March 2024, this program delivered a critical finding that improves our understanding and treatment of ovarian cancer.
- CMS is supporting efforts to reach Medicaid and CHIP beneficiaries with effective support to quit smoking – encouraging states to measure and improve strategies to deliver tobacco cessation services to help more beneficiaries quit smoking.
- VA expanded the reach of smoking cessation services to Veterans across the nation – adding at least six additional sites to the Quit VET eReferral program by the end of 2024. Additionally, VA recently launched a new pilot program to integrate smoking cessation services into lung cancer screening in recognition of the inherent connection between smoking and lung cancer risk – and VA plans to add at least five additional sites between 2024-2025.
- HHS launched a Framework to Support and Accelerate Smoking Cessation that provides a unifying vision and set of common goals to help drive progress towards cessation, especially in populations and communities that experience smoking- and cessation-related disparities.
- The Indian Health Services (IHS), in collaboration with the NCI Smokefree.gov Initiative, launched SmokefreeNATIVE, a new, free text messaging program to help American Indians and Alaska Natives quit smoking commercial tobacco.
- The Department of Agriculture (USDA) has instituted the Agricultural Science Center of Excellence for Nutrition and Diet for Better Health (ASCEND for Better Health) in support of the cancer prevention goals of the Cancer Moonshot and as part of the President’s commitment to improved nutrition for the American people as laid out in the National Strategy on Hunger, Nutrition, and Health. This virtual center will accelerate research on diet-related chronic diseases, including cancer, and aims to translate research into impactful solutions that improve public health and well-being.
- NCI, with public and private partners, launched a new clinical trial network to gather data on a “self-collection” method of human papillomavirus (HPV) testing to prevent and identify populations most at risk for cervical cancer.
- President Biden and Congress worked together on a bipartisan basis to deliver the President’s vision for a new biomedical research agency, ARPA-H or the Advanced Research Projects Agency for Health, with an initial investment of $4 billion to drive breakthroughs in cancer, Alzheimer’s, diabetes, and other diseases:
- In March 2024, ARPA-H announced the Advanced Analysis for Precision cancer Therapy (ADAPT) program, that will develop next-generation tools that predict the optimal treatment for each person facing advanced cancer, monitor tumors and determine precisely when they change, and ensure patients receive the right treatment at the right time.
- In August 2024, ARPA-H announced up to $150 million through the Precision Surgical Interventions program. Eight teams, at leading research institutions and a company spanning the country, will develop groundbreaking new tools and techniques to allow surgeons to remove cancerous tumors more successfully. These innovations will reduce the need for additional surgery and improve patient outcomes.
- In August 2023, ARPA-H announced an investment in “Curing the Uncurable via RNA-Encoded Immunogene Tuning” (CUREIT), with up to $24 million in new funding, to develop generalizable mRNA platforms that can be harnessed to train the immune system to more effectively fight cancer and other diseases.
- In February 2024, the Advanced Research Projects Agency for Health (ARPA-H) announced a new project to deliver hope and improved outcomes to those facing rare diseases, the ML/AI-Aided Therapeutic Repurposing In eXtended uses (MATRIX) project. MATRIX intends to build a machine learning platform to rapidly pinpoint and validate existing medications to treat diseases that currently have no therapies.
- Through NCI, the Biden-Harris Administration committed $5.4 million in the first year of multi-year awards to support the inaugural cohort of 11 Cancer Moonshot Scholars, with the intention to fund up to 30 by 2025. The goal of the Cancer Moonshot Scholars program is to inspire and support the next generation of world-class and diverse scientists and health innovators focused on breakthroughs that will make a difference for patients and drive progress.
- The Biden-Harris Administration has kick-started the adoption of United States Core Data for Interoperability Plus Cancer (USCDI+ Cancer), a recommended minimum set of key cancer-related data elements to be included in a person’s electronic health record. This effort will allow health care providers to share health information seamlessly, advance equity in treatment, and improve care and outcomes for people facing cancer across the country, especially in rural and underserved areas.
- The FY25 Budget invests $45 million within VA research programs, together with $215 million within the VA Medical Care program, for precision oncology and to provide access to the best possible cancer care for veterans.
- In its inaugural year, the NCI’s Clinical Trials Innovation Unit (CTIU) developed a streamlined submission and evaluation process to select innovative proposals. The process was piloted within the NCI National Clinical Trials Network (NCTN) and resulted in the selection of three proposals for further advancement, including one that focuses on real-world evidence and streamlined data collection for a new therapy.
- The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) released the Research Data Framework (RDaF) 2.0 which provides a roadmap for making health data findable, accessible, interoperable, and reusable to improve cancer research innovation and patient care.
- ONC launched CancerX, a national accelerator to drive progress against cancer. CancerX announced 16 startup companies selected for the inaugural cohort of the accelerator program – in the areas of clinical research; screening and diagnosis; treatment and management; clinical operations; and patient, caregiver, and survivor experience.
- The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) expanded and extended its program to expedite consideration of patents for innovations to detect and treat cancer.
- CMS established Principal Illness Navigation (PIN) services to help Medicare beneficiaries with high-risk conditions, like cancer, identify and connect with clinical and support resources proven to improve health outcomes and the patient experience by reducing times between diagnosis and treatment, and increasing treatment completion. With the First Lady’s leadership, the Biden Cancer Moonshot announced new commitments from seven leading insurance companies which cover more than 150 million Americans to reimburse for navigation services and new actions from 40 comprehensive cancer centers and community oncology practices to bring effective navigation support to more communities. Cancer navigation is personalized assistance to patients, caregivers, and families to help identify and resolve barriers to high-quality and timely cancer care through care coordination and advocacy. Because these services improve patient outcomes, reduce healthcare costs, and advance health equity, President Biden has prioritized increasing access to navigation service and last year the Biden Cancer Moonshot announced new steps to deliver cancer navigation services across America.
- President Biden believes that access to health care is a right, not a privilege, and more Americans have health insurance today than under any President. Because of the Inflation Reduction Act, starting in 2025, millions of seniors on Medicare will save up to tens of thousands a year when the $2,000 out-of-pocket cap on prescription drugs goes into effect, especially those receiving cancer drugs, which are among the most expensive drugs for Medicare beneficiaries. Cancer is one of the costliest diagnoses a person can face in the United States. Patient out-of-pocket costs for cancer care total more than $16 billion each year and approximately 40 percent of cancer patients fully deplete their assets by the second year of their diagnosis.
- VA is expanding delivery of high-quality, coordinated cancer care closer to veterans’ homes. By end of fiscal year 2025, VA will expand cancer treatment at VA clinics to an additional 30 sites—serving an additional 9,000 veterans each year—and extending services to provide the full continuum of cancer care from prevention and screening through treatment and surveillance. VA launched this service as a pilot in 2021 and has treated nearly 500 veterans at 20 VA locations, saving veterans undergoing cancer treatment and their caregivers over 200,000 traveled miles.
- IHS created a culturally-appropriate cancer navigation curriculum for American Indians and Alaska Natives, aimed to assist patients, caregivers, and the community to overcome barriers to cancer prevention and care coordination throughout the cancer care continuum.
- The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) advanced Project Facilitate, a single point of contact call center to help oncology health care providers submit expanded access requests, which is a potential pathway for patients to receive investigational drugs outside of a clinical trial.
- NCI launched the Childhood Cancer – Data Integration for Research, Education, Care, and Clinical Trials (CC-DIRECT) to support children and Adolescents and Young Adults (AYAs) with cancer throughout their cancer journey and to provide patient navigation support to families seeking information and optimal care. A team of 22 organizations will develop a patient centered standardized cancer health record that will also facilitate research and clinical trial participation.
- The Enhancing Oncology Model – a new cancer care model developed by CMS to lower costs, bring effective patient-centered care, and improve outcomes for those facing a cancer diagnosis – selected oncology practices to participate in a five-year voluntary model designed to test how best to place cancer patients at the center of the care team that provides high-value, equitable, evidence-based care.
- The DOL Wage and Hour Division created new resources to help workers living with cancer, their caregivers, and cancer survivors understand and make use of their rights under the Family and Medical Leave Act.
Share Your Stories & Ideas
We know that the best ideas, stories that will inspire change, and actions that can help deliver on this bold mission are distributed across the United States and beyond.
Please share your ideas for how we can focus these efforts and your stories of inspiration and knowledge from your experience with cancer.
Share Your Proposed Actions
A mission this bold is going to require the commitment of all companies, foundations, and institutions that can contribute new actions and collaborations toward ending cancer as we know it.
Please share what steps you propose to take to make urgent progress for patients.
What is the Cancer Moonshot?
About Us
The Cancer Moonshot is a White House initiative to bring renewed leadership to the fight against cancer, facilitate new collaborations, and drive progress across the cancer journey utilizing all facets of the oncology community – federal agencies and departments, private companies, healthcare providers, patient groups, philanthropies, and all Americans.
To reach the bold but achievable goals set forth by President Biden, the Cancer Moonshot is mobilizing the:
- Federal government to drive innovative action and life-saving progress forward in ways that reach all Americans.
- Scientific community to bring its boldest thinking to this fight;
- Medical and public health community to improve their outreach to and support for underserved communities, to help patients and families have the best experience possible while living with and surviving cancer, and to improve patient outcomes;
- Private sector to step up — to develop and test new treatments, to share more data and knowledge, and to collaborate on tools that can benefit all Americans; and
- People living with cancer and survivors, their caregivers and families, and those who have lost someone to keep sharing their perspectives and experiences and to keep pushing for progress.
Objectives
Achieving the bold goals laid out by President Biden and First Lady Jill Biden will take all of us.
The objectives of the Cancer Moonshot are informed by the patients, caregivers, and families most affected by cancer and progress will be made by all parts of the oncology community and beyond.
President Biden calls on the private sector, foundations, academic institutions, healthcare providers, and all Americans to join the mission of reducing the deadly impact of cancer and improving patient experiences in the diagnosis, treatment, and survival of cancer.
The Cancer Moonshot is driving progress to meet these goals by working to:
- Make sure everyone has access to cancer screenings—so more Americans can catch cancer early, when outcomes are best.
- Understand and prevent toxic and environmental exposures, such as forever chemicals and air pollution, which we know can cause cancer.
- Prevent more cancers before they start—by reducing tobacco use, making sure everyone has access to healthy food, and getting more people vaccinated against HPV, which causes some cancers.
- Drive new innovation and deliver the latest progress to patients and communities, so that all families benefit from breakthrough advances to prevent, detect, treat, and survive cancer.
- Support and center patients and caregivers, by helping them navigate the many decisions associated with a diagnosis, providing patients easy access to their health information, and driving action to lower drug costs.
Cancer Moonshot Highlights
