03.03.25

Pioneering UW Medical Researcher Known For Lifesaving Cancer Breakthroughs to Join Cantwell for SOTU Tomorrow

Dr. Paul Lange led prostate cancer research collaboration with Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center and UW Medicine: Cantwell has been sounding the alarm on Trump admin’s proposed funding cuts for Medicaid and lifesaving biomed research

WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Maria Cantwell, ranking member of the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation and senior member of the Senate Finance Committee, will be joined by Dr. Paul Lange at the annual State of the Union Address that President Donald Trump will deliver to a joint session of Congress tomorrow evening.

Dr. Lange is a medical research pioneer, cancer surgeon and founding director of Seattle’s world-leading Institute for Prostate Cancer Research (IPCR). Early prostate cancer detection tests that Dr. Lange helped develop – with support from federal funding -- are a major reason why the U.S. prostate cancer death rate declined significantly from 1993 to 2022.

“I’ve worked for more than 40 years to develop a cure for prostate cancer, and I’m proud to say that a cure is within reach. But cuts to federal support for medical research would delay lifesaving advancements for all medical diseases including all forms of cancer. Specifically, If President Trump’s administration cuts research funding for prostate cancer, the world's dream of a cure will be impeded.  There are men currently in their 20s and 30s – men who could be saved by this cure -- who will die instead,” Dr. Lange said. "America is home to some of the best biomedical research facilities in the world. To keep our global leadership, we must invest in the people and institutions that keep us moving forward."

“People are afraid that their life's work will be gone,” Sen. Cantwell said in a speech on the Senate floor. “They tell me they have to stop admitting new patients to clinical trials, that they'll have to scale back. And we can't just start and stop medical research like a faucet. Once these people leave, the programs are stopped. It takes a long time to get them started. Once halted, the research data, the clinical trial, the patients, the laboratory, the equipment that led to those innovations -- will be lost. [If you] ask me, that is throwing taxpayer dollars away. When you have an opportunity to cure a disease that affects millions of people and can save taxpayers billions, but somebody is arbitrarily going to cut these NIH funds, thinking they're saving the American people? They're not saving them. They're causing harm.”

Throughout his career, Dr. Lange provided lifesaving care to patients of all backgrounds, including many Medicaid recipients. Last week, Sen. Cantwell released a snapshot report highlighting the impact that slashing Medicaid to fund tax cuts for corporations and the ultra-wealthy would have on Washington state's health care system

Approximately 35,000 men die from prostate cancer in the U.S. every year, so the research by Dr. Lange and his UW Medicine and Fred Hutch medical associates, has helped save many lives by dramatically reducing the annual death rate and, very critically, has elevated the prospects of developing a complete cure.

One of those men is well-known Edmonds-based travel writer Rick Steves, whose prostate cancer was caught by an early detection test.  Steves has spoken publicly about his battle with prostate cancer to raise awareness and encourage men to talk to their doctors early about screening – and to express gratitude that he has “access to the brilliant UW Medicine team at the IPCR now headed by Dr. Dan Lin and the leading technology at Seattle’s Fred Hutch Cancer Center.”

Over the past month, Sen. Cantwell has been sounding the alarm on the Trump administration’s threats to cut funding from the National Institutes of Health (NIH). In early February, NIH  announced it would set the maximum rate for indirect costs to 15% —creating a serious funding shortfall for research institutions of all types across the country. This move would dismantle the biomedical research system and stifle the development of new cures for disease.

On Feb. 12, Sen. Cantwell delivered a speech on the Senate floor explaining her opposition to Robert F. Kennedy, Jr.’s nomination to head the Health and Human Services Administration and laying out the repercussions of the proposed NIH cuts. On Feb. 13, she joined the entire Senate Democratic Caucus in sending a letter to Kennedy expressing serious concern over the Trump Administration’s recent decisions that threaten to undermine America’s lifesaving biomedical research infrastructure, in violation of federal law.

“The Administration’s new policy means that research will come to a halt, sick kids may not get the treatment they need, and clinical trials may shut down abruptly,” the Senators wrote.

Last week, Sen. Cantwell released a snapshot report highlighting the impact that slashing Medicaid to fund tax cuts for corporations and the ultra-wealthy would have on Washington state's health care system, especially in Central and Eastern Washington. Based on interviews and statements from more than a dozen health organizations statewide, the report details how Medicaid cuts -- and the subsequent service cuts by providers -- would likely affect all Washingtonians.

Research entities in Washington state received $1.29 billion in NIH funding in Fiscal Year 2023, which supports nearly 12,000 jobs and nearly $3 billion in economic activity. A state by state analysis of total NIH funding, jobs supported, and economic activity supported through NIH research is available HERE.

For decades, Sen. Cantwell has remained a staunch supporter of medical innovation and evidence-based science, including treatments for fentanyl addiction, abortion, vaccinations, stem cell research, and more.