sample letter to congress on this matter

March 16, 2011

[recipient address was inserted here]


Dear [recipient name was inserted here],

I write to you today to ask for your support to fund the Prostate Cancer Research Program at the Department of Defense and all of the programs of the Congressionally Directed Medical Research Program.

The Prostate Cancer Research Program, a program of the CDMRP, is responsible for accelerating the clinical trials process for 8 drugs currently in Phase III trials. One drug, Abiraterone will likely receive FDA approval later this year instead of in 2 years. The PCRP funded much of the preclinical research for what is now Velcade, a drug approved for the treatment of multiple myloma, and Denosumab which received FDA approval for prostate cancer patients in November 2010.

Some members of Congress are arguing that medical research has no place at the Department of Defense, but I disagree. The PCRP and CDMRP are programs of national significance that are addressing the threats to our warfighters. Prostate Cancer rates among active-duty services members are double that of civilians. Researchers suggest that this is due in part to exposure to depleted uranium. Studies over the past few years have also proven a positive link between prostate cancer and Agent Orange.
Additionally, the research funded by the CDMRP is high-risk, high-reward research projects that are not funded by NIH or private funders.

The U.S. military stands between us and dangers that threaten the American way of life every day. But it's not just the bombs and bullets that kill them - chemical warfare is a threat that can kill just as effectively and often with visible wounds to treat. We owe our soldiers more than state of the art equipment to fight on the battlefield - we owe them a state of the art arsenal to fight their war on cancer - the war they are exposed to in defense of our country.

Please protect funding for the PCRP and other CDMRP programs. Thank you for your time and attention.

Sincerely,