Noted

The AACR Cancer Progress Report 2011 makes the case for boosting funding for the National Institutes of Health and the National Cancer Institute with annual budget increases at least 5% above the biomedical research inflation rate. The report can be downloaded at http://cancerprogressreport.org.

Worldwide, the number of reported breast cancer cases has risen by 3.1% annually since 1980, while the incidence of cervical cancer has edged up by 0.6% a year, says a study from the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation. Developing countries are experiencing the majority of breast and cervical cancer occurrences, and higher mortality rates than developed countries.

Donations are targeting tailored cancer treatments. The Johns Hopkins Kimmel Cancer Center received a $30 million donation from the Commonwealth Foundation for Cancer Research to establish a center for personalized cancer care. Former Genzyme chief executive Henri A. Termeer contributed a $10 million gift to Massachusetts General Hospital for the creation of a targeted cancer therapies center.

The Food and Drug Administration has restructured its oncology division to allow for a more disease-specific approach. The new Office of Hematology and Oncology Products aims to provide greater clarity about where applications for specific therapies will be handled.

The U.S. allotted 5.5% of its health care funds to research in 2010, for a total of $140.5 billion, according to Research!America's latest report. This percentage has remained unchanged over the last 6 years.

The 2011 Lasker-Bloomberg Public Service Award went to the NIH Clinical Center, the world's largest clinical research hospital. About 1,500 clinical research studies are currently in progress at the Center.

As of 2009, 26 states have accumulated $4.1 million for breast cancer research from specialty license plates. Illinois generated more than $7.4 million through its one-of-a-kind breast cancer lottery ticket.