Tyler Curiel, M.D., M.P.H., President Francisco Cigarroa, M.D., Gov. Rick Perry, cancer patient Heather Hermstad and Karen Fields, M.D.
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Gov. Rick Perry paid a visit to the South Texas Medical Center Feb. 20 to advocate selling the Texas lottery to finance cancer research. Welcoming Gov. Perry were Health Science Center President Francisco G. Cigarroa, M.D., San Antonio Cancer Institute (SACI) Director Tyler Curiel, M.D., and Cancer Therapy & Research Center (CTRC) President and CEO Karen Fields, M.D.

The governor spoke at a press conference at CTRC — the Health Science Center’s collaborative partner in SACI — to discuss his proposal to use the money generated from the sale to establish a permanent and perpetual trust fund.

Lottery could fund cancer research
The lottery typically yields the state about $1 billion each year, but it is an unstable source of income, Gov. Perry said. He proposes selling the lottery for about $14 billion, which will generate approximately $1.3 billion annually in interest — an estimated $300 million more than what the lottery brings the state each year now.

The interest would be used to finance cancer research, public education and a premium insurance program for the uninsured. The endowment would be different from a bond sale, Gov. Perry said, because it would not be subject to the changing priorities of future legislative sessions.

“Steady funding is particularly important in research endeavors to ensure uninterrupted progression of scientists’ work,” Gov. Perry said. “This funding will unite today’s brightest minds in cancer research to work together with our universities and research institutions toward a common goal: curing cancer.” The funding also would give stability to scientific projects while making Texas a national leader in cancer research, he said.

Funding could help save lives
In addition to his role as SACI director, Dr. Curiel is assistant dean for cancer research and interim chief of the medical oncology division in the department of medicine at the Health Science Center. SACI is one of two National Cancer Institute-designated cancer centers in Texas.

In his remarks, Dr. Curiel said translating scientific discoveries into applications that can save lives is the ultimate goal of cancer research today.

Heather Hermstad, 23, a patient who comes to CTRC for treatment every two weeks from Southern California, discussed her diagnosis of thyroid cancer at age 12 and the life lessons she has learned since that time. Her physician referred her to the CTRC-Health Science Center Phase I clinical trials program after doing some research. “Here I am, almost three years later, still standing, with few side effects,” she said. “I couldn’t be happier – as a fighter or as a young lady.” She said her goal is to complete nursing school.

Gov. Perry closed the press conference with this statement: “That’s a powerful story, one that sometimes gets lost in the debate in Austin, Texas. We should never lose sight of people like Heather.”