Disparities in National Cancer Institute and Nonprofit Organization Funding Disproportionately Affect Cancers With Higher Incidence Among Black Patients and Higher Mortality Rates
PURPOSE National Cancer Institute (NCI) and nonprofit organization (NPO) funding is critical for research and advocacy but may not be equitable across cancers. METHODS This study evaluated funding from the NCI and NPOs supporting lung, breast, colorectal, pancreatic, hepatobiliary, prostate, ovarian, cervical and endometrial cancers, leukemia, lymphoma, and melanoma from 2015 to 2018. The primary objectives were to assess for funding disparities across different cancers compared with their incidence and mortality and across racial groups. We also determined if underfunding correlates with fewer clinical trials. Correlations between funding for each cancer and its incidence, mortality, and number of clinical trials were analyzed using descriptive statistics and Pearson correlation coefficients (CCs). RESULTS Diseases with the largest combined NCI and NPO funding were breast cancer ($3.75 billion in US dollars [USD]) and leukemia ($1.99 billion USD). Those with the least funding were end