Nebraska Cures thanks Nebraska State Senator Brad von Gillern for introducing LB 1172, a bill to help researchers access data in the cancer registry. 34 state senators signed onto the bill in support.
The purpose of the cancer registry is to decrease cancer and cancer related deaths. Without registries, our actions to fight cancer are guess work.
Researchers request access to data to see cancer trends, discover causes of cancer, and to monitor the effectiveness of cancer prevention strategies and treatments.
Cancer researchers in Nebraska are struggling to get data requests approved by the state in a timely fashion, and in some cases, requests are pending for over a year. Sometimes the request are denied on the grounds that the requester has not met the qualifications to be an “approved researcher” despite having valid credentials.
Delays in data approval hinder advancements in cancer research and prevent researchers from applying for valuable grants from the National Institutes of Health (NIH). NIH grants are the backbone of research funding.
Without access to data, our researchers have to use data from other states and can’t make proven advancements in Nebraska cancer prevention. We also risk losing top cancer researchers to states where they can access data and do their lifesaving work.
