Let's try to get some more money for PCa research.

I got this in a FB PCa group (thanks Bob!)

How to quickly find your representative: house.gov/representatives/f...

How to easily find your senators: senate.gov/senators/senator...

Here's a draft letter for anyone who wants to write to their Senators and Congresspeople.

December 4, 2021

Dear x

Subject: Funding for Prostate Cancer Research

I am writing to ask for your help in procuring more Federal funding for prostate cancer research.

Prostate cancer is the second most common cancer diagnosis and the third leading cause of cancer death in American men. According to the American Cancer Society, an estimated 191,930 men will be newly diagnosed with prostate cancer in 2020. It is also estimated that there will be 33,330 prostate cancer related deaths this year alone.

The currently accepted treatments for intermediate to advanced prostate cancer include removal of the prostate and androgen deprivation therapy. These treatments often result in side effects like incontinence, ED, retrograde ejaculation, gynecomastia (breasts), sarcopenia, and osteopenia.

Contrary to what the medical industry may advertise, these side effects are common. They ruin lives and marriages.

The FY 2021 Consolidated Appropriations Act and the 21st Century Cures Act allocated $6.56 billion to NCI, a $119 million increase over the regular and Cancer Moonshot appropriations allocated in FY 2020 (not enough to cover inflation.)

The NCI website reports that of the total NCI budget, 42.4% of the funds were allocated for Research Project Grants (RPGs).and only 15% of the budget was spent on clinical trials for all types of cancer. cancer.gov/about-nci/budget... So, 57.6% of the budget was spent on administration and communications.

Admittedly the Government has been preoccupied with COVID for the past two years, but at the same time, trillions are being appropriated for other causes, many of which appear to be highly discretionary. Meantime, cancer patients are suffering and dying.

I respectfully request that you take the lead in appropriating additional funding for cancer research and in ensuring that NCI spends more of its funding on clinical trials that may actually benefit patients.

Thank you for your kind consideration.

[cesces]

You are missing s ok something.

You need to tell them you are a single issue voter. You don't care how they vote for or against abortion or anything else.

[Hidden in reply to cesces]

I'm not sure. If someone said something like that to me, I would get pissed that they think that they can play mind games with me so I'd do the opposite. Then again, I'm not a politician.

[andrew61]

Great idea. Done!

[Dave78717]

The US is behind and backwards with respect to PC. Studies are done my pharma companies based on ability to make profits on the drugs, procedures they create also such studies take a decade or more before they can be applied to actual people on a large scale. I don't know that throwing more money at the problem helps maybe it just gets sucked in by big pharma.

They need to lighten the rules up that slows things down and they need to fund things that offer promise irrespective of if they will make money for pharma. They need to take results that were found overseas and directly apply them now so patients can get the treatments developed. They need to change insurance so that its covered if you go overseas for treatment, that it has to be covered. Its so much cheaper anyway.

[Hidden in reply to Dave78717]

I suppose it depends on what therapies interest you. I find lots of good trials on clinicaltrials.gov. BAT, diet, exercise, drugs, supplements, ... water SMH. There might be better countries for PCa research and therapies but I think that there are worse. Some of my acquaintances from Germany, the UK, and Canada complain about their limited options. Apparently, it might even be hard to get drugs for self-directed therapies. Even blood tests are hard to come by and need a doctor's order!

I'm not a fan of big pharma but I do feel free not to use them so rarely do. Access to the black market is really good where I live. Some black market drugs are dirt cheap.

Have you checked out goodrx? I research stuff, provide data to satisfy my NMD, he writes scripts, I go through goodrx and have my local pharmacy deliver drugs. If I can't get what I want, black market. And I order my own bloodwork, have mobile techs come to my house and take the blood, they charge my insurance so it is free to me, and then the results are delivered to me. I review them and forward the results to my MO for her records.