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Cancer Moonshot

On Feb. 2, 2024, President Biden celebrated the two-year anniversary of the reignited 2016 White House Cancer Moonshot initiative, an effort across multiple federal agencies aimed to reduce the death rate from cancer by at least 50 percent over the next 25 years. Cancer Moonshot is also focused on improving the experience of people and their families living with and surviving cancer, with a goal to ultimately end cancer. To that end, the military medical community has made great strides and advancements.

Uniformed Services University’s Murtha Cancer Center Research Program in Bethesda, Maryland leads the DOD’s component of Cancer Moonshot’s efforts. Among many groundbreaking research projects, the Program has achieved national acclaim for its role in ovarian cancer research, development of targeted therapies for breast cancer that doesn’t respond to treatment, as well as lung and skin cancer research.

In response to Cancer Moonshot, the DOD, the Department of Veterans Affairs, and the National Cancer Institute created the Applied Proteogenomics Organizational Learning and Outcomes Network. As a trial network, APOLLO was part of a White House "reignition" Fact Sheet: President Biden Reignites Cancer Moonshot to End Cancer as We Know It. APOLLO originally included 13 DOD and VA hospitals that launched eight cancer-specific programs, including studies in lung, breast, prostate, ovarian, pancreatic, testicular, and brain cancers. Today, APOLLO is comprised of 15 DOD and VA hospitals and has expanded to studies of all cancer types.

Cancer Moonshot

At its initial launch in 2016, Cancer Moonshot set forth three ambitious goals:

  1. Accelerate scientific discovery in cancer
  2. Foster greater collaboration
  3. Improve the sharing of data

Cancer Moonshot has united a large community of investigators and clinicians who are dedicated to expediting research to improve the lives of people with cancer and their loved ones.

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Top military health researchers published a groundbreaking study indicating patients treated within the Military Health System received earlier cancer diagnoses than privately insured or Medicaid patients. Aligning with the White House’s Cancer Moonshot initiative—which aims to prevent more than 4 million cancer deaths by 2047—the study shows that a ...

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The Madness We Survive

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A renewed spirit to resume the life she previously had consumed U.S. Air Force Senior Airman Matilyn Million as she closed her most difficult chapter. On Sept. 18, 2023, Million underwent her 12th and final chemotherapy treatment in Tampa, Florida.

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Walter Reed National Military Medical Center Champions Women's Health Care Options Using Minimally Invasive Hysterectomy Surgery

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When you meet Dr. Candice Jones-Cox, director of the Women's Health Services at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center, you will learn that she's a fierce patient advocate and a meticulous surgeon, passionately learning cutting-edge techniques to adapt to an ever-changing medical landscape. She's an obstetrician-gynecologist, highly adept at ...

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Lights, Camera, Ultrasound! Uniformed Services University Nursing Students Train Using High-Tech Simulation Theater

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Military students from the Uniformed Services University conducted immersive medical team training in the university's Wide-Area Virtual Environment. The theater is a a state-of-the-art 3D immersive reality facility that simulates various scenarios, replicating environments from war zones to medical emergencies, to prepare them for real-world medical ...

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A Profile in Courage: Former Marine Shares Her Breast Cancer Survivor Story

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Former Marine Stephanie Bowens stands quietly in the nerve center of Walter Reed Military Medical Center’s nurse administration office, gathering her thoughts before coordinating schedules, arranging meetings, and fostering camaraderie among her talented teammates. It’s the perfect position for a creative, energetic, and organized leader who ...

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Last Updated: February 05, 2024
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