Tell Congress To Increase Funding
Tell Congress to increase oral cancer research funding
Oral cancer patients, their families and friends, and all concerned Americans must insist on the increased federal support for oral cancer research needed to make important new breakthroughs to improve outcomes for Americans with this disease. Federal support for oral cancer research depends on all stakeholders contacting their elected representatives in Washington and demanding funding levels appropriate to the public health problem of this disease. Join with other oral cancer advocates in contacting your congressman and senators to demand increased federal support for oral cancer research. A sample letter is provided for this purpose which can be e-mailed to your representative and senators. Personalize the letter with your own life experiences with oral cancer.
Follow these 3 simple steps to contact your representative and senators:
1. Copy the letter into your internet browser then click on the following links to contact your representative in the House and the senators from your state.
http://www.house.gov
http://www.senate.gov
For the House of Representatives, enter your zip code into the House website to find your representative then click on their name which will take you to their website. Once there, click on "contact". Paste the letter into the e-mail field provided and click "send".
For the Senate, find the name of your state on the Senate website to find your two senators then click on their name which will take you to their website. Once there, click on "contact". Paste the letter into the e-mail field provided and click "send".
Oral cancer patients, their doctors, and researchers appreciate your support for increased federal funding for research which will benefit the lives of Americans today and in the future as we search for the cure for this dreaded disease.
Sample Letter
Dear [Congressman or Senator]:
Oral cancer affects both men and women and Americans of all races and ages.
Unlike other cancers, the number of Americans with oral cancer each year has been increasing for the past decade. Researchers do not know why oral cancer is increasing, particularly among young people. One American dies of oral cancer every hour of every day. The number of Americans dying of oral cancer also is increasing each year. Only half of Americans with oral cancer will survive 5 years after their diagnosis. Oral cancer treatment often involves disfiguring surgery, radiation, and chemotherapy. Extensive reconstructive surgery and rehabilitation is often needed. I would like to draw your attention to an important issue regarding oral cancer research, which is the consistently low level of federal research funding for this disease. There are a number of excellent programs of oral research in the United States that have received funding over many years, and through their efforts important breakthroughs have been achieved which have saved lives of people with oral cancer. Despite these efforts, federal funding for oral cancer research has been among the lowest for all major cancers for decades. Other funding agencies align their priorities with those of the federal government which also has reduced funding for oral cancer research. The low level of funding for oral cancer research has serious implications for patients with the disease in the future. There are currently an insufficient number of researchers entering the oral cancer field to sustain future efforts. The number of journal publications on oral cancer research sadly lags behind those for other types of cancer. This means that researchers and physicians know much less about oral cancer than colleagues studying and treating patients with other types of cancer. The American Cancer Society has noted significant increases in the number of oral cancer cases during the past decade. Oral cancer researchers and clinicians are unable to explain this increase, how long it may continue, or what should be done to reverse this alarming trend. Unfortunately oral cancer research has not benefited from increased federal funding for cancer research. Those of us who are stakeholders in oral cancer must step forward to inform our elected representatives that this historical lack of funding for this disease must not be allowed to continue. Funding for other types of cancer is substantially higher compared to that for oral cancer, and consequently quality and quantity of life has improved dramatically for patients with these cancers. However, there are more Americans living with oral cancer than with leukemia, brain tumors, melanoma skin cancer, ovarian cancer, cervical cancer, and pancreatic cancer. We must join together for the benefit of oral cancer survivors and those in the future who will suffer from this disease. We ask Congress to increase funding for oral cancer research to reduce the burden of this disease which affects more than a quarter million Americans.