Order Code 96-253 SPR
Updated April 28, 2008
Cancer Research: Selected Federal Spending
and Morbidity and Mortality Statistics
Judith A. Johnson
Domestic Social Policy Division
Janet Kinzer
Knowledge Services Group
Table 1 shows federal spending at the National Institutes of Health (NIH) for
research on selected cancer sites (i.e., the part of the body in which the cancer presents
itself). Most cancer research at NIH is conducted by the National Cancer Institute (NCI);
NCI amounts are indicated in parentheses (which are a subset of the number above it).
The estimate for FY2009 is based on the President’s request.
Table 1. NIH Research Funding for Selected Cancer Sites
($ in millions; NCI portion of NIH total is shown in parentheses)
FY2004
FY2005
FY2006
FY2007
FY2008
FY2009
Cancer
Actual
Actual
Actual
Actual
Estimate Estimate
$708
$700
$718
$707
$705
$703
Breast
(566)
(560)
(585)
(572)
(572)
(572)
94
96
97
96
96
96
Cervical
(79)
(82)
(83)
(82)
(82)
(82)
297
284
269
282
282
282
Colorectal
(262)
(253)
(244)
(258)
(258)
(258)
297
289
266
249
249
249
Lung
(273)
(266)
(243)
(227)
(227)
(227)
112
106
102
103
103
103
Ovarian
(100)
(98)
(95)
(97)
(97)
(97)
378
373
348
345
344
344
Prostate
(309)
(309)
(293)
(296)
(296)
(296)
35
39
28
22
22
22
Uterine
(27)
(31)
(19)
(17)
(17)
(17)
NIH total
$5,547
$5,639
$5,575
$5,643
$5,652
$5,654
(NCI total)
($4,723)
($4,795)
($4,747)
($4,795)
($4,805)
($4,810)
Source: NIH budget office, February 5, 2008, and NCI budget office, April 24, 2008.
Note: Amounts for the cancer sites do not add up to the totals. In addition to funding research on many
other cancer sites, NIH supports basic cancer research on prevention, epidemiology, carcinogenesis, tumor
biology, immunology, as well as research on diagnosis and treatment of cancer patients.

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CRS-2
In the past, federal cancer research was conducted solely by NIH. In FY1992,
Congress appropriated $25 million for breast cancer research to the Department of
Defense (DOD). In FY1997, Congress began providing for research on ovarian and
prostate cancer as well. Table 2 shows appropriations for these cancers for the past seven
years. Funding for DOD cancer research does not appear in the Administration’s budget,
but rather originates with Congress as part of the appropriations process. On November
13, 2007, the Department of Defense Appropriations Act of 2008 was signed into law
(P.L. 110-116). A total of $228 million was made available in FY2008 for peer-reviewed
cancer research on breast ($138 million), ovarian ($10 million), and prostate cancer ($80
million).
Table 2. Congressional Appropriations to DOD for Cancer Research
($ in millions)
Cancer
FY2002
FY2003
FY2004
FY2005
FY2006
FY2007
FY2008
Breast
$150
$150
$150
$150
$127.5
$127.5
$138
Ovarian
10.2
10
10
10
10
10
10
Prostate
85
85
85
85
80
80
80
Source: DOD Appropriation documents and H.Rept. 110-434.
Note: More about the DOD Congressionally Directed Medical Research Program is at
[http://cdmrp.army.mil/].
Table 3 gives estimates for the number of new cancer cases and deaths expected in
2008 for selected sites. Annual estimates of cancer cases and deaths are published by the
American Cancer Society based on incidence rates obtained from NCI’s Surveillance,
Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) program, which collects data from cancer
registries in various parts of the country, representing about 10% of the U.S. population.
Table 3. Estimated U.S. Cancer Cases
and Deaths — Selected Sites, 2008
Cancer
Cases
Deaths
Breast (female)
182,460
40,480
Cervical
11,070
3,870
Colorectal
148,810
49,960
Lung
215,020
161,840
Ovarian
21,650
15,520
Prostate
186,320
28,660
Uterine
40,100
7,470
All cancer sitesa
1,437,180
565,650
Source: A. Jemal, et al., Cancer Statistics, 2008. CA — A Cancer Journal for Clinicians, vol. 58,
March/April 2008, at [http://caonline.amcancersoc.org/cgi/reprint/58/2/71].
a. Totals for all cancer sites include those listed in Table 3 and other cancer sites not listed here.

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