To the Editor:
“A Sickened Body as Cancer Weapon” captures the sense of cautious optimism within the cancer community as researchers and patients struggle to make effective use of new immunotherapy treatments.
“Cancer policy is one of the few places where Washington’s dysfunction seems to be abating, rather than increasing.”
Maximizing their impact requires closing the gap between what is learned in the clinic and how it informs drug development, enabling us to achieve greater gains for more patients faster and at lower cost.
Vice President Joseph R. Biden Jr., through the White House’s Cancer Moonshot, has wisely called on hospitals and researchers to routinely share more data, which is helpful in identifying effective treatment combinations.
Congress should also rethink privacy regulations inhibiting data sharing. The bipartisan 21st Century Cures Legislation, passed by the House of Representatives in July of last year, addresses these and many other barriers to rapid cancer innovation. It could still reach the president’s desk within the year.
Cancer policy is one of the few places where Washington’s dysfunction seems to be abating, rather than increasing. For Steve Cara, who is featured in your article, and millions of patients like him, let’s hope the trend continues.
This letter to the editor originally appeared in The New York Times
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Paul Howard is a senior fellow and director of health policy at the Manhattan Institute. Follow him on Twitter here.
This piece originally appeared in The New York Times