Edwards offers cancer plan

CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa (AP) — Democratic presidential candidate John Edwards wants to increase research funding and create support networks for people dealing with cancer.

The former North Carolina senator says his wife's battle with breast cancer has shown him the need to make fighting cancer a top priority.

Edwards plans to spell out his proposals during a forum in Iowa today sponsored by Olympic bicycling champion Lance Armstrong, a cancer survivor.

He says he'll propose a national strategy for cancer survivorship.

Edwards says five-year cancer survivorship now stands at 66 percent, a 50 percent increase over 30 years ago. He wants the progress to continue.

Edwards says he'll push for a substantial increase in funding for cancer research conducted by the National Institutes for Health.

(Copyright 2007 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)