There's a lot of grants for cancer research coming from donation dollars. For the Leukemia and Lymphoma society, which I've contributed to numerous times, they

There's a lot of grants for cancer research coming from donation dollars. For the Leukemia and Lymphoma society, which I've contributed to numerous times, they fund early-stage research going on at academic institutions mostly, though trials and patients are also supported. A number of their early-stage funded research projects have advanced to official FDA trials. The overall issue you're speaking of is the healthcare system in the US, which is not present in other countries where drugs and treatments may be present, albeit slightly delayed, for much cheaper. Some of the most expensive options are biologic drugs, which cost a lot but that's because they are more difficult to manufacture and are often tailored to the individual patient level. Still, the US healthcare system is supporting the main engine of biotechnological research in the world. Look at Cambridge, MA and you will see huge brain drain and financial investment into pharma and biotech companies.