Unfashionable Cancers Receive Less Funding

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Unfashionable Cancers Receive Less Funding

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A report by the UK National Cancer Research Institute reveals that unfashionable cancers receive less research money and attention from scientists, despite increased funding over a 4 year period towards cancer-based research.

There are a number of factors that come into play in this situation; for one, researchers are more likely to investigate cancers that show the most promise of breakthrough.  Secondly, celebrity campaigning raises the profile of certain illnesses, which then attracts more public sympathy and funding.

Roughly 80% of lung cancer patients die within a year of diagnosis, yet this particular cancer retains a negative 'reputation' and receives little funding:

Perhaps a central funding agency should allocate funds towards areas that show the most ingenuity and potential for development; if breast cancer is receiving the most funding but the research remains stagnant and unprogressive, then that money should be diverted to an area where the most headway can be made.