SPRINGFIELD, Ill. - Medical researchers are hoping the bipartisan support that's been given to the study of cancer continues under the Trump administration.

Saturday is World Cancer Day, and the American Society of Clinical Oncology has released its annual report called "Clinical Cancer Advances 2017." Dr. Harold Burstein, a breast-cancer specialist and co-editor of the report, said remarkable progress has been made - the payoff for decades of research that's led to a better understanding of the immune system and human genonmes.

Burstein said federal funding is critical in the battle against cancer.

"One of the group most dependent on federal research grants are young people in their 20s and 30s who are perhaps at their scientifically most cutting edge in terms of their thinking and experimentation," Burstein said, "and we need to support their work if we're going to have progress."

The report named immunotherapy as this year's biggest advance. In just one year, Burstein said, the Food and Drug Administration approved five new uses for cancer immunotherapy, expanding treatment options and improving lives for patients with advanced and early-stage cancers.

Not only has cancer treatment improved, Burstein said, but preventing it in the first place has as well. He cited the HPV vaccine as a major advance, and said progress is being made in other areas.

"Recently, a report from Australia that Vitamin B compounds like nicotinamides can help prevent second skin cancers in people who've already had one skin cancer," he said. "So active prevention strategies are emerging really for some of the first times."

Burstein said he hopes the Trump administration places an emphasis on medical research because it's giving people what they often need most: hope.

"For a long time, I think, people had been a little nihilistic, feeling that there wasn't demonstrable or measurable progress in cancer care," he said. "That's really no longer the case."

Advances included in the report range from new genetic tests that may help people lower their risk of certain cancers to new treatments that target molecules that help cancers grow. The report outlined the importance of emerging research on using the so-called liquid biopsies in cancer care.

The report is online at asco.org.


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New Mexico saw record enrollment numbers for the Affordable Care Act this year and is now setting its sights on lowering out-of-pocket costs - those not reimbursed by insurance. More than 56,000 New Mexicans are enrolled in a medical health insurance plan on the state exchange - an increase of 12,000 people overall.

Colin Baillio, deputy superintendent with the state's Office of Insurance, said the state has boosted its outreach and made efforts to improve the overall consumer experience.

"We saw a 40% year-over-year increase, and New Mexico saw the biggest percentage increase during the open-enrollment period among all of the state-based marketplaces," he explained

Part of the enrollment increase is due to what's called the "unwinding" - a federal directive that required all states to redetermine Medicaid eligibility following a three-year pause on checks during the COVID pandemic. He said by using expanded tools made available by the federal and state government, 8% of New Mexico's population is now uninsured - down from 23% in 2010.

Following approval by lawmakers in the 2024 legislative session, the New Mexico governor signed seven health care-related bills into law - one of which requires annual reporting of prescription drug pricing. Baililo said the Affordable Care Act built the foundation that has allowed the state to pursue additional affordability initiatives.

"I'm really glad to see that there's so much interest in the next step of health reform, really leaning into these out-of-pocket cost issues and making it easier for people to afford to stay covered and see their doctors," he continued.

Two years ago, the state also passed a one-of-a-kind law that did away with behavioral health co-pays for people in certain insurance plans.

New York's medical aid-in-dying bill is gaining further support. The Medical Society of the State of New York is supporting the bill. New York's bill allows terminally ill people with only six months to live to use this option, with safeguards requiring two physicians' approval.

The bill's Assembly sponsor Amy Paulin, D-Westchester, said despite the growing support, other hurdles lie ahead.

"Now we have what I believe, if it came to the floor, a majority. There's still a hesitation on the part of leadership. You know, we need members to assure leadership that they no longer have reservations," she said.

Other newly resolved concerns center on making sure insurance companies and doctors who don't support this aren't held liable. She's optimistic the bill will pass after nine years in the Legislature. New York would be the 11th state along with Washington, D.C. to have medical aid in dying legislation.

Corinne Carey, senior New York campaign director with Compassion and Choices finds the pandemic drew a vivid picture of a person's end-of-life experience. There were images of people dying on ventilators, apart from loved ones, and unable to communicate. She said people began thinking about a "good death."

"And, what is a good death is being surrounded by loved ones, having some measure of control, experiencing the touch of your loved ones, and being the one in the driver's seat," she explained.

Now people have different options for end-of-life care, each of which presents various challenges. Polls show medical aid in dying has garnered considerable support since being introduced in 2015. A 2022 Compassion and Choices poll finds 57% of nurses support medical aid in dying professionally, although fewer support it personally.

The California State Assembly is considering a bill to require schools to have a cardiac arrest response plan. Assembly Bill 2887 would make sure schools update their safety plans to include CPR training and an automatic external defibrillator or AED onsite.

Dr. Stephen Sanko, a professor of clinical emergency medicine at USC, and a founding member of the Cardiac Arrest Survivor Alliance, is a volunteer expert for the American Heart Association. He said having a plan in place is critical.

"The American Heart Association is promoting that schools have a cardiac arrest response plan. A written protocol for what to do in order to decrease the likelihood that if somebody collapses, that they die," he said.

Two years ago, 15-year-old Cash Hennessy collapsed on the football field due to a previously unknown heart defect. Two off-duty medics in the stands gave him CPR. The school brought out its AED - but it was useless, because the batteries were dead.

Hennessy said the experience was traumatic.

"I feel blessed that I had people there for me, that could give me C-P-R. But I think about if those people weren't there and that was another kid, who knows what would have happened? Because there wouldn't have been an AED to save them," he explained.

An AED walks people through the steps to deliver a life-saving shock to a person's heart until an ambulance arrives. Studies show that 70% of kids who suffer sudden cardiac arrest at school recover if an AED is deployed correctly - whereas the survival rate for kids and adults not in the hospital is less than 12%.