On Feb. 2, 2022, President Joe Biden relaunched the cancer moonshot initiative highlighting new goals: “to reduce the death rate from cancer by at least 50 percent over the next 25 years and improve the experience of people and their families living with and surviving cancer—and, by doing these and more, to end cancer as we know it today.”

Fight Colorectal Cancer (Fight CRC) strongly supports President Biden’s call to action to address inequities, utilize personalized medicine, increase progress against the most deadly and rare cancers, support patients, caregivers, and survivors, and learn from all patients. 

“We commend the bold vision to fight cancer by President Biden, and we appreciate the vulnerability of Vice President Kamala Harris, who shared that her mother passed away from colorectal cancer,” said Anjee Davis, President of Fight CRC. 

The Cancer Moonshot revamp continues the White House’s investment in cancer research. The program will include cancer screening efforts, treatment, and increasing patients' quality of life after cancer. The need for colorectal cancer screening after COVID-19 delays is great. 

To address screening, President Anjee Davis, along with Fight CRC Board Member Dr. Fola May, took part in the President’s Cancer Panel that released a report on closing the gaps in colorectal cancer (CRC) screening just following the Moonshot announcement. The panel’s report focused on connecting people, communities, and systems to improve equity and access to CRC screening. The group identified four critical goals and related recommendations to ensure the benefits of cancer screening reach all populations. 

Fighting cancer is personal to this administration and Fight CRC. President Biden launched the Cancer Moonshot initiative in 2016 as vice president under President Barack Obama, not long after his son Beau died of brain cancer. 

“Let there be no doubt. Now that I am president, this is a presidential White House priority — period,” President Briden said during his remarks at the White House. 

Although CRC is preventable with timely screening and very treatable and beatable if caught early, CRC is currently the No. 2 cancer killer. Young cases are also on the rise, and it’s projected that colorectal cancer will be the leading cause of cancer deaths among those ages 20-49 in the next eight years if something doesn’t change. 

On March 16-17, Fight CRC—alongside partners and advocates—will be asking members of Congress for more research funding to find new and better treatment options for colorectal cancer patients. Over 27,000 blue flags will be put in the ground on the National Mall to represent people under the age of 50 estimated to be diagnosed with colorectal cancer in 2030. This is the first-ever flag installation hosted by Fight CRC, representing the lives that could be saved by 2030. 

Learn more and become an advocate at FightCRC.org/advocacy.