Dear Friends,
At the end of February, SWOG’s operations and statistical teams submitted applications for the renewal of their core NCI grants. This is a significant undertaking requiring many hours of cooperative analysis and reporting which occurs every six years. This year, of course, the landscape for federal research funding is entirely uncertain, and we’re collectively bracing for whatever impacts may come.
Typically, when we’re discussing impact it’s through a lens of progress made against the many types of cancer our network studies. And in fact, the chairs of all five National Clinical Trials Network groups recently issued a joint statement highlighting the significant advances in cancer treatment brought about by group studies over the past 40 years. In that time, this research has led to an estimated 14 million life-years saved for patients with cancer. And it’s a cost-effective pursuit, totaling just $326 per life-year saved. While I encourage you to read the entire statement, I also found striking the fact that in 2023, every $1 of NIH funding generated approximately $2.46 of economic activity. The value of our work is undeniable.
I’ll share with you the same thing I’ve communicated to my team at The Hope Foundation in recent weeks: we remain steady and committed to supporting our mission – the science, the researchers, and our broad community of patients at SWOG.
We will continue to keep a close eye on how decisions at the federal level may impact our philanthropic support of SWOG and share any updates with you. In the meantime, thank you for believing in our mission to improve and lengthen lives – we’re dedicated to advocating for the resources necessary to advance the very best cancer therapies.
Gratefully,
Jo Horn
President & CEO
