The “War of the Ribbons”: Who’s Winning?

Here’s the latest installment in the “War of the Ribbons”. Of course, the “blue ribbons” (men) are complaining that the “pink ribbons” (women) get all the money and attention.

The men are demanding parity.

So how is the money really allocated? This article from the New York Times sheds some light on the subject. Turns out that the National Cancer Institute (NCI) spends about twice as much per new case of breast cancer than for prostate cancer. But funding per death for PC is close to what it is for BC.

Unfortunately, guys, a prostate will never have the appeal of a breast.

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Cancer Funding: Does It Add Up?

New York Times

March 6, 2008

. . . The National Cancer Institute has proposed a $6 billion budget in the war on cancer, allocating some funds for general cancer research and some for studies of specific cancers. But a review of the N.C.I.’s 2006 funding for five of the biggest cancers showed a wide disparity in the amounts of money spent relative to each cancer death and each new case of cancer. The data offer only a partial snapshot of public cancer spending in this country, as other government offices, such as the U.S. Department of Defense, also fund breast and prostate cancer research . . .

Among the big cancers, breast cancer receives the most funding per new case, $2,596 — and by far the most money relative to each death, $13,452. Notably, prostate cancer, the most common cancer, receives the least funding per new case at just $1,318. But on a per-death basis it ranks second, with $11,298 in N.C.I. funds.

Here’s a look at the N.C.I. cancer funding based on 2006 death rates and incidence rates for some of the most common and deadliest cancers.