Comparing National Institute of Health Funding for Cancer Survivorship: A Spotlight on Breast and Gynecologic Cancers

Abstract

Objective: To evaluate the distribution of National Institutes of Health (NIH) funding for breast and gynecologic cancer survivorship research in relation to survivor populations.

Methods: A retrospective cohort study was conducted on NIH-funded grants for breast and gynecologic cancer survivorship from fiscal years (FY) 2017–2021 using an existing dataset from the NIH Office of Cancer Survivorship. Grant characteristics, including funding amount, study design, and research focus, were extracted from NIH Reporter and ClinicalTrials.gov. Total funding and per-survivor funding were calculated using prevalence data from the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) program. Descriptive statistics were applied to compare funding disparities between breast and gynecologic cancer survivorship research.

Results: Among 160 NIH-funded grants on cancer survivorship, 144 (90%) focused on breast cancer, and 16 (10%) on gynecologic cancers. Breast cancer survivorship research received significantly more funding ($188.35 million) compared to gynecologic cancer survivorship research ($15.41 million). Per-survivor funding was also higher for breast cancer ($9.69 per survivor) than for gynecologic cancers ($2.15 per survivor). Most survivorship studies were interventional (60%), with randomized controlled trials as the predominant design. The primary study focus was on late and long-term effects of cancer treatment (53%), followed by health promotion (21%) and care delivery (16%).

Conclusion: NIH funding for gynecologic cancer survivorship research is significantly lower than that for breast cancer, even when accounting for survivor prevalence. The findings highlight the need for equitable resource allocation to ensure comprehensive survivorship support for gynecologic cancer survivors. Increased funding and research efforts are necessary to address the unique challenges faced by this population and to optimize long-term outcomes.