Policy and Advocacy

SCIENCE POLICY AND GOVERNMENT AFFAIRS COMMITTEE
CHAIR: ROY S. HERBST, MD, PHD

The AACR Science Policy and Government Affairs Committee identifies issues of concern for the cancer research community and works with lawmakers and federal agency personnel at NIH, FDA, CDC, and others, to provide expert guidance to advance policies that are beneficial for patients with cancer. Under the leadership of Chair Roy S. Herbst, MD, PhD, the committee’s priorities include: advocating for sustainable funding increases for the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and the National Cancer Institute (NCI), serving as the catalyst for multi-stakeholder discussions on important policy issues affecting cancer research and care, and ensuring the timely integration of the latest scientific information and findings into policy proposals on Capitol Hill and within federal agencies,

• AACR/AACI Joint Hill Day. In May, AACR and the Association of American Cancer Institutes (AACI) brought together more than 150 advocates—including cancer center directors, scientists, clinicians, survivors, and advocates—for their annual Hill Day. The participants participated in more than 150 meetings with members of Congress or their staffs to emphasize the critical impact that biomedical research funding has on the lives of cancer patients.
• In conjunction with the Hill meetings, AACR and AACI partnered with the House Cancer Caucus to host a Congressional Briefing titled “Protecting a Bipartisan Legacy: Advancing Cancer Research, Saving Lives, Securing the Future.” The briefing, which was moderated by Robert Winn, MD, FAACR, and featured remarks by cancer survivor and U.S. Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz (D-FL), emphasized the importance of keeping cancer research above politics.

REGULATORY SCIENCE AND POLICY SUBCOMMITTEE
CHAIR: KENNETH C. ANDERSON, MD, FAACR

The AACR Regulatory Science and Policy Subcommittee develops and implements programs and policy initiatives to improve the development, evaluation, and regulation of cancer drugs, biologics, and devices.

• FDA-AACR Workshops. AACR collaborated with the FDA to host two workshops in 2025 that addressed current challenges facing cancer patients:

• January: Dihydropyrimidine Dehydrogenase (DPD) Deficiency Testing. Chaired by AACR Past President Patricia M. LoRusso, DO, PhD (hc), FAACR, and Jennifer Gao, associate director at the FDA Oncology Center of Excellence, this workshop explored the considerations around DPD testing for patients on fluoropyrimidine-based cancer treatments, such as fluorouracil (5-FU) and capecitabine.

TOBACCO PRODUCTS AND CANCER SUBCOMMITTEE
CHAIR: CHRISTINE LOVLY, MD, PHD

The AACR Tobacco Products and Cancer Subcommittee develops scientific and policy initiatives to reduce the incidence of disease and mortality due to tobacco use.

• Congressional Briefing on Tobacco Prevention and Cessation Policy. In July, AACR partnered with the American Lung Association and the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids to host a Congressional Briefing titled “Tobacco Prevention and Control is a Crucial Strategy in Combating Chronic Diseases.” Moderated by Suchitra Krishnan-Sarin, PhD, Vice-chairperson of the AACR Tobacco Products and Cancer Subcommittee, and attended by a wide bipartisan audience, the panel discussed the large-scale health and economic benefits of federally funded public health programs focused on tobacco cessation and prevention, and urged Congress to continue supporting these programs to protect public health.
• Policy Statement: Federal Limit on Nicotine Levels in Cigarettes. In January, after years of research, the FDA exercised its Congressionally-mandated authority to set nicotine levels in combustible tobacco products and proposed a nicotine product standard of 0.7 mg/g—which would reduce the amount of nicotine in these products by about 95%. In November, AACR, which has long conducted science-based advocacy for setting a nicotine product standard, published a policy statement supporting the FDA’s proposal. The statement, which was written by members of the AACR Tobacco Products and Cancer Subcommittee, noted that “if implemented, this policy would constitute one of the most impactful cancer prevention, anti-addiction, and anti-chronic disease policies in American history.”

• Read the AACR Tobacco Products and Cancer Subcommittee policy statement in Clinical Cancer Research

  

• Read an interview with the authors of the policy statement on the AACR Blog

  

AACR SCIENTIST↔︎SURVIVOR PROGRAM®

The AACR Scientist↔︎Survivor Program® (SSP) builds enduring partnerships among leaders of the scientific, survivor, and patient advocacy communities by convening them at AACR’s scientific meetings to engage with the latest innovative cancer science. Survivors and advocates attend focused lectures and scientific sessions with scientist mentors, fostering an exchange in which patients and advocates explore the biology behind treatment decisions and scientists learn about the impact their work has on the patient experience. More than 50 patient advocates participated in programs held during the AACR Annual Meeting 2025 in Chicago.

VIRTUAL PATIENT ADVOCATE FORUMS

The AACR Patient Advocate Forum series convenes leaders and experts from across the cancer research community to address topics of critical interest to patient advocates. AACR hosted two virtual forums in 2025, each moderated by SSP cofounder Anna D. Barker, PhD, FAACR:

• From Discovery to Survivorship: Technology’s Role in Beating Cancer. This session—which featured Garry Nolan, PhD, Reva K. Basho, MD, Angela M. Belcher, PhD, and Cheryl L. Willman, MD—highlighted how technological innovations in areas such as nanotechnology, data science, and artificial intelligence are driving progress in understanding, diagnosing, and treating cancer.
• Exploring a New Generation of Patient-Centric Cancer Clinical Trials. Dr. LoRusso joined patient advocate Jan Tomlinson, Laura van ‘t Veer, PhD, and former AACR President David A. Tuveson, MD, PhD, FAACR, on the panel for this forum, which showcased the revolution clinical trial design that is producing more efficient and inclusive trials.

SABCS 2025: CENTERING THE PATIENT VOICE

The San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium® (SABCS), which AACR presents in partnership with UT Health San Antonio, benefited from unprecedented participation by the patient advocate community in 2025. More than 500 patient advocates gathered in San Antonio in December to learn about the latest advances in breast cancer science and medicine. Advocates were also strongly represented on the Symposium program, serving as speakers and panelists in nearly 30 sessions and ensuring that the lived experience of patients was a critical focus of this trailblazing meeting.

CANCER TODAY MAGAZINE

Cancer Today is AACR’s award-winning magazine and website for cancer patients, survivors, and caregivers. Published since 2011, the magazine has addressed important cancer topics in a comprehensive, understandable way. Cancer Today is a vital resource for those navigating a cancer diagnosis, treatment, or survival. Among the most read stories published in 2025 were the following: