Key Issues

Below are some of the key issues on which the Melanoma Research Foundation (MRF) is taking action.  Advocates are also encouraged to check the website regularly for updates on state and national issues.

2012

In February, Reps. Henry A. Waxman, Diana DeGette, Frank Pallone, Jr., Rosa L. DeLauro, and Carolyn B. Maloney released a report prepared by the minority staff of the Committee on Energy and Commerce, describing the false and misleading health information provided to teens by the indoor tanning industry.  The report, based on undercover interviews of tanning salon employees conducted by Committee investigators, finds that tanning salons target teenage girls with advertising and promotions, deny known risks of indoor tanning, provide false information on benefits of tanning, and fail to follow recommendations by the Food and Drug Administration on tanning frequency. 

Read the full report.

2011

The Melanoma Research Foundation has worked for over a decade to push the federal government to do more about melanoma. We have seen significant progress in 2011 along a number of key issues.

In December, Congress passed an omnibus appropriations bill completing the Fiscal Year 2012 appropriations process. In the Defense portion of the bill, the Peer-Reviewed Cancer Research Program received $12.8 million, the same amount that was included in the House bill.  Again this year, melanoma and other skin cancers are listed as one of the areas eligible to compete for funding under this program.  Continued funding for this program is a notable accomplishment given the current fiscal environment and the opposition to the Congressionally Directed Medical Research Programs (CDMRP) by some members of Congress.

The Labor, Health and Human Services, Education Appropriations bill includes $350.3 million for cancer prevention and control efforts at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Within this funding, skin cancer received $2.15 million, the same as the Fiscal Year 2011 level.

The conference agreement also provided $30.69 billion for NIH, an increase of $299 million over FY 2011. The agreement includes language to implement the creation of the National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences (NCATS) and eliminate the National Center for Research Resources (NCRR), transferring the various NCCR programs to other institutes and centers. The mission of NCATS is to transform the way NIH pursues the translation of basic science into treatments and cures. Within NCATS, the Cures Acceleration Network (CAN) received up to $10 million to help speed the application of discoveries that have shown signs of success at the laboratory level but have not advanced far enough to attract significant investments from the private sector. 

The bill also included $5.081 billion for theNational Cancer Institute, $23.21 million above the Fiscal Year 2011 level. The funding urged NCI to conduct more research on melanoma and required the agency to report back to Congress on their melanoma efforts. The Melanoma Research Foundation was instrumental in ensuring this requirement was in place and drafted the language that was inserted into the bill:

“The committee urges more research on melanoma that will identify and develop molecular markers to aid accurate diagnosis of the primary tumor; prognostication that will determine extent and type of treatment; and prediction of treatment response. The Committee commends NCI for the inclusion of melanoma in The Cancer Genome Atlas; however, in view of the relative scarcity of melanoma biospecimens available for this effort, additional resources are needed to facilitate specimen collection. Give the rising incidence rates of melanoma, the Committee encourages NCI to support research directed at the biology of tumor initiation including UV radiation as a carcinogen, host risk factors and risk reduction strategies. The committee continues to urge NCI to promote mechanisms of collaboration between industry, the extramural program and foundations that will accelerate translational and clinical research as outlined in the strategic action plan, including annotated specimen collection from key trials independent of sponsorship and novel trial designs to accommodate testing agents contributed by more than one company. The Committee requests an update on these requests in the fiscal year 2013 congressional budget justification.” 

2010

Increased Federal Funding for Melanoma Research and Skin Cancer Prevention
As an advocate for the melanoma community, the MRF works with the following federal agencies to combat melanoma and skin cancer.

Department of Defense: Troops stationed in Iraq, Afghanistan and other regions with intense sun exposure are at long-term risk for melanoma.  In 2008, melanoma and skin cancer joined breast, prostate and ovarian cancers in the Department of Defense’s Congressionally Directed Medical Research Programs (CDMRP).

CDMRP represent a unique partnership among the public, Congress and the military.  It was established within the U.S. Army Medical Research and Materiel Command in 1993, when Congress, in response to grassroots advocacy efforts, tasked the Defense Department with developing and managing an innovative breast cancer program.  Since 1993, CDMRP has grown to include programs aimed at other major diseases, including prostate cancer, ovarian cancer, and autism.

All CDMRP programs are conducted according to a two-tier review model recommended by the National Academy of Sciences’ Institute of Medicine.  The first-tier is a peer review of proposals against established criteria for determining scientific and technical merit.  The second-tier is a programmatic review, conducted by members of the Integration Panel (an advisory board of leading scientists, clinicians, and consumer advocates), that compares proposals against each other and recommends submissions for funding based on scientific merit, relative innovation and impact, portfolio balance, and overall program goals.

UV Exposure and Vitamin D
For some time now, the tanning industry has promoted the connection between ultraviolet (UV) light and its role in the production of vitamin D within the body.  But what the tanning industry is not talking about is the fact that UV exposure is tightly linked to multiple types of skin cancer, several of which can be lethal, including melanoma.

Contrary to the tanning industry’s claims, there is a clear link between all forms of skin cancer and exposure to UV rays from natural or artificial sources (such as tanning beds).  While other factors (including genetics) undoubtedly contribute to developing skin cancers, the role of UV is incontrovertible.

It’s important that we remain vigilant in making safe decisions when it comes to UV exposure.  The best way to prevent melanoma is to protect yourself from the sun because approximately 65 percent of melanomas are attributed to UV exposure.

While health experts agree that vitamin D deficiencies are associated with several serious health conditions, including diabetes, heart attacks, and some cancers, using UV rays-a known carcinogen-to boost vitamin D levels is not a sound choice for better health.

Maintaining healthy vitamin D levels is easily accomplished by diet and taking oral vitamin D supplements rather than UV-induced vitamin D.  The two are chemically indistinguishable and the oral form does not pose a cancer risk.

The MRF deplores the tanning industry’s efforts to distort scientific research for their financial gain and calls on state and federal regulatory agencies to address these  misleading and dangerous marketing practices.  The lives of many people, including young people, are at stake.