1.This Act may be cited as the
Triple-Negative Breast Cancer Research
and Education Act of 2011
.
2.Congress finds as follows:
(1)Breast cancer
accounts for 1 in 4 cancer diagnoses among women in this country.
(2)The survival rate
for breast cancer has increased to 90 percent for White women and 78 percent
for African-American women.
(3)African-American
women are more likely to be diagnosed with larger tumors and more advanced
stages of breast cancer despite a lower incidence rate.
(4)Early detection
for breast cancer increases survival rates for breast cancer, as evidenced by a
5-year relative survival rate of 98 percent for breast cancers that are
discovered before the cancer spreads beyond the breast, compared to 23 percent
for stage IV breast cancers.
(5)Triple-negative
breast cancer is a term used to describe breast cancers whose cells do not have
estrogen receptors and progesterone receptors, and do not have an excess of the
HER2 protein on their sources.
(6)It is estimated
that between 10 and 20 percent of female breast cancer patients are diagnosed
with triple-negative breast cancer, and studies indicate the prevalence of
triple-negative breast cancer is much higher.
(7)Triple-negative
breast cancer most commonly affects African-American women, followed by
Hispanic women.
(8)Triple-negative
breast cancer is a very aggressive form of cancer which affects women under the
age of 50 across all racial and socioeconomic backgrounds.
(9)African-American
women are 3 times more likely to develop triple-negative breast cancer than
White women.
(10)Triple-negative
breast cancer tends to grow and spread more quickly than most other types of
breast cancer.
(11)Like other forms
of breast cancer, triple-negative breast cancer is treated with surgery,
radiation therapy, or chemotherapy.
(12)Early-stage
detection of triple-negative breast cancer is the key to survival because the
tumor cells lack certain receptors, and neither hormone therapy nor drugs that
target these receptors are effective against these cancers; therefore, early
detection and education is vital.
(13)Current research
and available data do not provide adequate information on—
(A)the rates of
prevalence and incidence of triple-negative breast cancer in African-American,
Hispanic, and other minority women;
(B)he costs
associated with treating triple-negative breast cancer; and
(C)the methods by
which triple-negative breast cancer may be prevented or cured in these
women.
3.Research with
respect to triple-negative breast cancer
(a)The
Director of the National Institutes of Health (in this section referred to as
the Director of NIH) shall expand, intensify, and coordinate
programs for the conduct and support of research with respect to
triple-negative breast cancer.
(b)The
Director of NIH shall carry out this section through the appropriate
institutes, offices, and centers of the National Institutes of Health,
including the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and
Human Development, the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, the
Office of Research on Women’s Health, and the National Institute on Minority
Health and Health Disparities.
(c)Coordination of
activitiesThe Director of the Office of Research on Women’s
Health shall coordinate activities under this section among the institutes,
offices, and centers of the National Institutes of Health.
(d)Authorization of
appropriationsFor the purpose of carrying out this section,
there are authorized to be appropriated $500,000 for each of the fiscal years
2013 through 2015.
4.Education and
dissemination of information with respect to triple-negative breast
cancer
(a)Triple-Negative
breast cancer public education programThe Secretary of Health
and Human Services, acting through the Director of the Centers for Disease
Control and Prevention, shall develop and disseminate to the public information
regarding triple-negative breast cancer, including information on—
(1)the incidence and
prevalence of triple-negative breast cancer among women;
(2)the elevated risk
for minority women to develop triple-negative breast cancer; and
(3)the availability,
as medically appropriate, of a range of treatment options for symptomatic
triple-negative breast cancer.
(b)Dissemination of
informationThe Secretary may disseminate information under
subsection (a) directly or through arrangements with nonprofit organizations,
consumer groups, institutions of higher education, Federal, State, or local
agencies, or the media.
(c)Authorization of
appropriationsFor the purpose of carrying out this section,
there are authorized to be appropriated such sums as may be necessary for each
of the fiscal years 2013 through 2015.
5.Information to
health care providers with respect to triple-negative breast cancer
(a)Dissemination of
informationThe Secretary of
Health and Human Services, acting through the Administrator of the Health
Resources and Services Administration, shall develop and disseminate to health
care providers information on triple-negative breast cancer for the purpose of
ensuring that health care providers remain informed about current information
on triple-negative breast cancer. Such information shall include the elevated
risk for minority women to develop triple-negative breast cancer and the range
of available options for the treatment of symptomatic triple-negative breast
cancer.
(b)Authorization of
appropriationsFor the purpose of carrying out this section,
there are authorized to be appropriated such sums as may be necessary for each
of the fiscal years 2013 through 2017.
6.In this Act, the term minority
women means women who are members of a racial and ethnic minority group,
as defined in section 1707(g) of the Public Health Service Act (42 U.S.C.
300u–6(g)).