[Congressional Record Volume 143, Number 160 (Thursday, November 13, 1997)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E2372-E2373]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                  CITY OF HOPE NATIONAL MEDICAL CENTER

                                 ______
                                 

                            HON. RON PACKARD

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                      Thursday, November 13, 1997

  Mr. PACKARD. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of an important 
initiative being developed by City of Hope National Medical Center in 
Duarte, CA. A nationally recognized leader in the research and 
treatment of cancer, City of Hope proposes to implement a demonstration 
of a combined Bone Marrow Transplantation/Radioimmunotherapy [BMT/RI] 
research and treatment program, dedicated to maximizing the 
effectiveness of BMT/RI therapy in curing cancer.

[[Page E2373]]

  Today, one of the most effective treatments in the fight against 
cancer is Bone Marrow Transplantation. In the United States today, 
approximately 25,000 patients receive bone marrow transplants as 
curative treatment for diseases such as lymphoma, leukemia, breast 
cancer and ovarian cancer. That figure is expected to increase by 30 
percent annually, as physicians and researchers learn more about how 
these debilitating and fatal diseases can be cured with aggressive 
transplant therapy. In addition, BMT therapy is also being actively 
explored as a means of conferring resistance to fatal viral infections, 
including HIV and also for the amelioration of chronic disorders of the 
immune system such as multiple sclerosis.
  The City of Hope National Medical Center and Beckman Research 
Institute is one of the advanced BMT and stem cell treatment and 
research centers in the world. Presently, City of Hope is the largest 
provider of BMT services in California, as well as the largest provider 
of BMT services to Hispanic Americans in the United States. Innovative 
research and development at City of Hope led to recent improvements in 
BMT technology which have resulted in a dramatic shift of therapy from 
the inpatient to the outpatient setting. This shift has produced 
significant savings in the cost of health care services and has 
increased patient access to this lifesaving technology. Complementing 
its BMT program, City of Hope has the premier Radio-immunotherapy 
program in the nation. The design, synthesis and production of reagent 
grade radio labelled smaller antibodies used in initial clinical trials 
have successfully demonstrated improved efficacy in targeting tumor 
cells. These synthetic molecules are now ready to be used to 
selectively deliver deadly radioactivity to cancer cells through out 
the body with low toxicity as part of curative bone marrow 
transplantation.
  The development of curative BMT/RI therapy is expected to lead to 
clear increases in cancer survivability rates and is expected to 
greatly reduce the pain experienced by cancer patients while tempering 
the often severe side effects of current therapy. Because the majority 
of BMT/RI therapy will be rendered in an outpatient setting, its 
development is consistent with the goal of achieving meaningful medical 
breakthroughs without a concomitant exorbitant cost.
  Mr. Speaker, I commend the efforts of City of Hope National Medical 
Center to develop this cutting edge treatment for cancer patients and 
pledge to support their efforts to win Federal funding for this 
critical demonstration when Congress returns in January. It is my firm 
belief that such an investment would demonstrate critical support by 
the Federal Government for a much needed and valuable research and 
treatment program that could have a curative effect on many forms of 
cancer which affect American lives daily.

                          ____________________