Dr. Thomas K. Lu
I have some bad news.
As a hospital doctor, I’ve become pretty good at delivering bad news. Still, it doesn’t get any easier. The day I told my patient, a 53-year-old devoted father of two, that his abdominal pain was not due to gallstones as everyone thought, it certainly wasn’t easy. When a doctor says “bad news,” our minds often jump to the dreaded “C” word we fear: cancer. Unfortunately for my patient, I diagnosed him with cholangiocarcinoma, a deadly cancer. Over the next year, I watched him deteriorate as he developed one complication after another and was readmitted to the hospital.
Cancer affects everyone in some way. The stress and heartbreak of being diagnosed with cancer, whether personally or through a family member or friend, is immense. That’s why I was so surprised when I read that Congress would not renew funding for the Cancer Moonshot initiative, which focuses on treating cancer.
Although there are many different forms of cancer and different research efforts to treat them, Project Moonshot is one of the largest efforts organized by the U.S. government to find a cure. It was an initiative. The program was established by then-Vice President Joe Biden in 2016 after his own son died from brain cancer, and has received bipartisan support and praise.
What if I can’t find a doctor?A shortage of doctors will change the way Americans receive care.
The program, which was funded at $1.8 billion over seven years in 2016 with the aim of halving cancer deaths by 2047, will expand access to cancer detection screenings, especially for veterans, and Progress has been made in increasing support for programs aimed at cancer prevention. 1 and funded groundbreaking cancer treatment research.
Biden’s cancer moonshot plan is Congress’ latest partisan casualty
But, perhaps predictably, the plan has stalled due to perennial parliamentary dysfunction. Some Republicans refused to give Biden a “win” and voted against restoring funding.
While this was a victory for all Americans and humanity, it clearly wasn’t much more than the politics of making the Democratic Party look good. This defines a political party more than a country.
I’m a doctor.So does my mother. When she got cancer, I realized how unimportant it was.
Republicans say budget cuts are necessary as debt continues to rise. But where was this attitude when tax cuts for the wealthy were on the table in 2017? You don’t have to look a patient in the eye and tell them the shocking news that they have cancer. There is no need to treat cancers that block the intestines or fill the patient’s lungs with fluid.
Cancer claims the lives of more than 600,000 Americans each year. Economically, the annual financial burden of cancer treatment in this country is estimated to be approximately $200 billion.
If spending government money on this can speed up healing, it’s still a bargain.
I nursed a patient with cholangiocarcinoma through pain crises, intestinal obstruction, chemotherapy, kidney damage, and, unfortunately, when he was no longer able to continue his fight against cancer, he passed away. In addition to the support of nurses and doctors, our patients had their families by their side.
Until recently, some may have argued that the government was on his side, too, but Republicans and those who voted against funding the Moonshot Cancer Project were the ones who supported him and other cancers like him. It’s clear that patients are not their priority.
But we, the voters, need to get our priorities straight and focus on the health of our fellow Americans. Remember who voted against the Moonshot Cancer initiative in the next election. Please keep in mind those who continue to vote against scientific progress, against funding cancer research, against the rollout of pandemic vaccines, and even against climate change. Climate change is not only an existential threat for the future, it also worsens chronic health conditions such as asthma today.
Keep this in mind and vote for someone who won’t politicize Americans’ health. Otherwise, the country’s prognosis is bad news for all of us.
Dr. Thomas K. Lu is an assistant clinical professor at Stanford University School of Medicine and an attending physician in the Department of Hospital Internal Medicine at Stanford Healthcare Tri-Valley. All opinions expressed are his own. Follow him on X: @TomasLewMD
