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 by Delbert Chumley, MD
Bexar County Medical Society
President 2007
Cancer knows no boundaries. It can affect any of us regardless of age, race or gender. As physicians, we have witnessed first hand the pain and suffering caused by this disease, and some of our colleagues have even faced it themselves. Cancer remains a grim reality that will never go away without investment in medical research.
This year there will be 95,000 newly diagnosed cases of cancer in Texas and 37,000 Texans are estimated to die from the disease. According to the National Cancer Institute about 10 million Americans have a history of cancer at any given time. Roughly 650,000 of them reside in Texas. Each day, 1,500 Americans die from cancer. Although no dollar amount can be placed on lives lost and families disrupted, cancer costs Texans about $30 billion a year in direct and indirect costs.
On November 6, however, all of us have a chance to make a real difference in the battle to cure cancer by voting for Proposition 15 which is “the constitutional amendment requiring the creation of the Cancer Prevention and Research Institute of Texas and authorizing the issuance of up to $3 billion in bonds payable from the general revenues of the state for research in Texas to find the causes of and cures for cancer.”
The Legislature gave Texans the opportunity to let the state take the bold step of investing $3 billion dollars over a 10 year period – $300 million a year – to make Texas the leading center for cancer cure research in the nation – if not the world. This investment reflects a doubling of cancer research dollars in the state, taking into account funds already flowing to the state’s research institutions for the National Cancer Institute.
This legislation transforms the present Texas Cancer Council into the Cancer Prevention and Research Institute which has three clear purposes: (1) further cancer research and to prioritize a medical or scientific breakthrough in the prevention of cancer and cures for cancer; (2) attract, create and expand research capabilities of public or private institutions of higher education and other public or private entities that will promote a substantial increase in cancer research and in turn create high-quality new jobs in this state; and (3) develop and implement the Texas Cancer Plan.
The Institute will be governed by an 11 member Oversight Committee. Grants will be reviewed and selected by an 18 member Scientific Research and Prevention Programs Committee and approved by the Oversight Committee. Grant recipient must contribute funds equal to one-half the total grant. In other words, if the grant is for $1 million, the recipients must match those funds with at least $500,000.
In addition to medical research these funds will strengthen important cancer prevention, early detection and control programs funded by the Texas Cancer Council. Some of these strategies will increase the availability of effective cancer prevention materials and programs; increase awareness of and access to cancer prevention services; and promote efforts aimed at reducing tobacco use and cancer risks related to obesity.
Furthermore, Texas will attract private dollars and investment monies. It creates new research facilities and laboratories throughout the state, and new jobs. It makes good economic sense for Texas.
This effort is supported by a non-partisan coalition of the cancer survivor community including the Lance Armstrong Foundation, The American Cancer Society, Susan G. Komen for the Cure, KillCancer.org and your TMA and BCMS.
This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to help save the lives of thousands of Texans and to expand the work of our state’s outstanding medical research institutions. I invite you to join me in a grassroots effort to educate our patients about this initiative and encourage them to get out and vote in favor of Proposition 15 on November 6.
Patient educational material for your medical office is available through the TMA.
We must support Proposition 15. It benefits everyone.
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