[Congressional Bills 109th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H. Res. 863 Introduced in House (IH)]








109th CONGRESS
  2d Session
H. RES. 863

Expressing the sense of the House of Representatives that there should 
  be an increased Federal commitment to supporting the development of 
innovative advanced imaging technologies for prostate cancer detection 
                             and treatment.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                             June 12, 2006

Mr. Cummings (for himself, Mr. Burton of Indiana, Mrs. Christensen, Mr. 
 Wynn, Mr. Clyburn, Mr. Cardin, Ms. Waters, Mr. Meeks of New York, Ms. 
   Kilpatrick of Michigan, Ms. Millender-McDonald, Ms. Eddie Bernice 
 Johnson of Texas, Mr. Lewis of Georgia, Mr. Jefferson, Mr. Towns, Ms. 
 Norton, Mr. Conyers, Mr. Meek of Florida, Mr. Carter, and Mrs. Capps) 
submitted the following resolution; which was referred to the Committee 
                         on Energy and Commerce

_______________________________________________________________________

                               RESOLUTION


 
Expressing the sense of the House of Representatives that there should 
  be an increased Federal commitment to supporting the development of 
innovative advanced imaging technologies for prostate cancer detection 
                             and treatment.

Whereas the annual commemoration of Men's Health Week during the week preceding 
        Father's Day gives new reason to consider the critical need to improve 
        detection and treatment of prostate cancer;
Whereas prostate cancer has reached epidemic proportions and now strikes at 
        least one in six American men, with African-American men having a 60 
        percent higher incidence rate than Caucasian men and a mortality rate 
        twice as high;
Whereas each year more than 230,000 American men are newly diagnosed with 
        prostate cancer, more than 1,500,000 men have biopsies, and around 
        30,000 men fall prey to this potential killer;
Whereas it is important for men to take advantage of prostate cancer screening 
        exams in order to detect the disease at the earliest opportunity, when 
        it is still curable;
Whereas a recent study funded by the National Cancer Institute demonstrated that 
        the most common available methods of detecting prostate cancer, the PSA 
        blood test and physical exams, are not foolproof--imaging would be 
        another critical factor in the diagnosis and treatment of prostate 
        cancer;
Whereas the absence of advanced imaging technologies to detect and treat 
        prostate cancer often can result in unnecessary and costly medical 
        procedures that increase psychological and emotional trauma for American 
        men and their families;
Whereas, with imaging tools, millions of dollars could be saved in our public 
        and private health care systems through improved detection and 
        treatment;
Whereas the lack of accurate imaging tools means that biopsies can miss cancer 
        even when multiple samples are taken, and current treatments--either 
        radical surgery or radiation--can leave 50 to 80 percent of men 
        incontinent or impotent or both;
Whereas advanced imaging technologies could be combined with treatment tools to 
        perform image-guided, minimally invasive and precisely targeted 
        interventions, which will be performed in outpatient clinics with 
        minimal discomfort, complications and costs and which will end the fear, 
        pain, suffering and costs that prostate cancer causes men and their 
        families; and
Whereas breakthroughs in the diagnosis and treatment of breast cancer resulted 
        from the development of advanced imaging technologies led by the Federal 
        Government: Now, therefore, be it
    Resolved,  That it is the sense of the House of Representatives 
that Congress and the Executive Branch should recognize the successful 
use of advanced imaging technologies in the fight against breast cancer 
and provide additional support for the research and development of 
technologies for prostate cancer detection and treatment comparable to 
state-of-the-art mammograms.
                                 <all>