Kimberly Peters, a patient currently undergoing treatment for stage four uterine cancer at UC San Diego Health, has spoken out about the impact of federal funding cuts on cancer research. Peters was first diagnosed with breast cancer in 2015 and later with uterine cancer in 2021. After her cancer spread to her thigh in 2023 and returned again this year, she has relied on ongoing chemotherapy and maintenance therapy.
Peters emphasized the importance of clinical trials for patients like herself whose cancers may not respond to standard treatments. She said, “There aren’t many clinical trials available for me and my type of cancer, and that’s what’s scary, especially given what’s going on in the world. But there’s so much that’s in the pipeline, and we won’t know if it’s going to work if we don’t have the research. These decisions don’t just hurt institutions. They hurt real people. They’re destroying a lot of my hope.”
Recent reductions in funding from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) have raised concerns among patients and researchers alike. As of June 2025, nearly $3.8 billion in NIH research grants have been terminated. In August, efforts by researchers to reinstate $2 billion of these awards—many focused on diversity, equity, and inclusion—were blocked by a Supreme Court decision.
Peters expressed concern about how these changes could affect research into women’s health: “I have a cancer that’s specific to females and anything even remotely related to DEI, including research related to women’s health, is being targeted, so what does that mean for me?”
Her doctor at UC San Diego Health, Ramez Eskander, M.D., highlighted how critical clinical trials are for advancing care: “All of the therapeutic advances we utilize now as standard of care treatment approaches were based on discoveries made through innovative clinical trials,” he said. “This research is how we identify cures for cancer and meaningfully prolong people’s lives. The more clinical trials we have available for patients, the better their care now and in the future.”
Moores Cancer Center at UC San Diego is one of only 57 Comprehensive Cancer Centers designated by the National Cancer Institute (NCI), largely supported by an NIH Cancer Center Support Grant (CCSG). The center aims to expand its clinical trial operations; projections indicate enrollment will reach nearly 700 patients in 2025—a significant increase over previous years.
Eskander warned that cuts to medical research funding could reduce both staffing levels and access to new therapies: “The reason we have clinical trials is because standard of care therapies are not always effective and we need more options for our patients,” he said. “Cuts to NIH funding may reduce the overall number of clinical trials and impact staffing, making existing trials more difficult to access for patients.”
Despite these challenges, Peters remains determined: “I wish I could take them to my chemo and let them see what it’s like. Let them see the countless people I’ve sat with during long chemo infusions,” she said. “What if the treatment that could save someone in that chemo waiting room — someone’s mother, someone’s child — was one of those lost discoveries?”
She also described her experience with Dr. Eskander: “When I had my first appointment with Dr. Eskander, he sat down next to me, took my hand, and told me ‘We’re going to get through this.’ You can’t imagine what those words mean when you have stage 4 cancer.”
Peters concluded by urging continued investment in scientific research: “The fact that we haven’t cured cancer tells us that we still need research,” she said. “Patients are people. We’re not a line item. Funding is desperately needed so that one day, we can all be survivors.”
