As far as what treatments get studied and which do not, the charities are not the problem - Big-pharma, the NIH and the research facilities are. There are charities out there that are scams, but that is a different subject altogether.

Speaking from a little knowledge about a couple of cancer charities I have been involved with as a volunteer:

Most cancer charities do not directly fund the research, they raise money and turn it over to a consortium of research hospitals that are doing clinical trails. The clinical trials are mostly dictated by the NIH which is pretty much doing the bidding of big pharma. Most of the research money does not come from the charities but from NIH grants so they (hospitals) are following the framework set out by NIH because that is were the money is. The charities just supplement and not even to a large degree compared to what NIH funds. Another thing they (charities) sometimes fund is the infrastructure needed to conduct the clinical trials.

The charities are not the problem - Big-pharma, the NIH and the research facilities are.

Speaking from a little knowledge about a couple of cancer charities I have been involved with as a volunteer:

Most cancer charities do not directly fund the research, they raise money and turn it over to a consortium of research hospitals that are doing clinical trails. The clinical trials are mostly dictated by the NIH which is pretty much doing the bidding of big pharma. Most of the research money does not come from the charities but from NIH grants so they (hospitals) are following the framework set out by NIH because that is were the money is. The charities just supplement and not even to a large degree compared to what NIH funds. Another thing they (charities) sometimes fund is the infrastructure needed to conduct the clinical trials.