[Congressional Record Volume 144, Number 99 (Wednesday, July 22, 1998)]
[Senate]
[Pages S8811-S8812]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                    PROSTATE CANCER RESEARCH FUNDING

 Ms. MOSELEY-BRAUN. Mr. President, I would like to call the 
attention of my colleagues to a national health epidemic that kills 
40,000 American men every year and strikes hundreds of thousands more 
each year--prostate cancer. I am concerned about this disease and its 
impact on American men, particularly its disproportionate impact on 
African-American men.
  For too long prostate cancer has been a silent killer. Too little has 
been known about it. Too little was said about it. Too little has been 
done about it. Fortunately, in recent years many prominent national 
figures like Senator Bob Dole, General Norman Schwarzkopf, Arnold 
Palmer, Sidney Poitier, Andy Grove, and Harry Belafonte have come 
forward to discuss their personal battles with prostate cancer. The 
admirable leadership of these men and others has helped educate the 
country about the importance of screening and early diagnosis of 
prostate cancer, and the need for all of us to do more to fight this 
disease.
  Mr. President, prostate cancer is the most commonly occurring non-
skin cancer in the United States. In 1997, more than 200,000 men were 
diagnosed with prostate cancer and 41,800 died of the disease. Every 
three minutes a new case of prostate cancer is diagnosed and every 13 
minutes someone dies from the disease. While it is often thought to be 
an older man's disease, younger men are increasingly diagnosed with 
prostate cancer. In fact, about 20 percent of prostate cancers are now 
occurring in men between the ages of 40 and 60.
  Although prostate cancer accounts for approximately 20 percent of all 
new non-skin cancers, it receives less than four percent of federal 
cancer research funding. In 1996, approximately the same number of 
lives were lost due to prostate cancer breast cancer and AIDS. In 1997, 
however, while prostate cancer deaths continued to rise, deaths due to 
breast cancer and AIDS declined. Nevertheless, the federal commitment 
to prostate cancer research has not even kept pace with these other 
priorities.
  Clearly, I am not advocating reduced funding for breast cancer or 
AIDS research programs. I have been one of the major champions of 
breast cancer and AIDS research funding. Rather, I use these 
comparisons to make the point that much more must be done to address 
the prostate cancer epidemic as well. How can we face the hundreds of 
thousands of men and their families who are daily affected by prostate 
cancer knowing, for instance, that more money was spent to make the 
movie Titanic--more than $200 million--than was spent in 1997 by the 
federal government for prostate cancer research--only $120 million.
  The possibility and the fear of developing prostate cancer is common 
to all men. One in five American men will develop prostate cancer 
during his lifetime. As frightening as that statistic may be for the 
general population, it is even more pointed in the African-American 
community. African-American men have a prostate cancer incidence more 
than 30 percent higher than for any other ethnic groups in this country 
and the highest in the world.
  The prostate cancer mortality rate for African-American men is more 
than twice that of white American men. Researchers do not yet know why 
this is true and do not yet have answers to these and the many other 
questions about prostate cancer. For example, it is not clear which 
prostate cancer patients will benefit from traditional treatments, like 
surgery or radiation. The economic status of many African-American men, 
and limited access to medical counseling further complicated treatment 
decisions.
  Those who are devoted to relieving the burden of prostate cancer in 
the African-American community, including scientists, health care 
providers, national organizations, community leaders, and survivors 
alike, are united in their desire to find answers to these questions. I 
am particularly pleased with the leadership of many national 
organizations in informing the country about the impact of prostate 
cancer in the African-American community. In November of last year, the 
American Cancer Society, the National Cancer Institute, and the Centers 
for Disease Control and Prevention sponsored A Leadership Council on 
Prostate Cancer in the African-American Community. In cooperation with 
the Intercultural Cancer Council, the National Black Leadership 
Initiative on Cancer, the National Prostate Cancer Coalition and the 
100 Black Men of America, the Leadership Conference proposed a 
blueprint for action that aims to solve the problem of prostate cancer 
in the African-American community.
  These private organizations--and many others--are working very hard 
at the community and national levels to see that the prostate cancer 
epidemic is addressed. That a letter that 29 organizations representing 
the African-American community sent to Congress in May laying out a 
research funding agenda to attack this problem be printed in the 
Record.
  The letter follows:

                                                     May 20, 1998.
       Dear Member of Congress: We have come together as 
     organizations representing the African American community to 
     develop a united response to one of the most significant 
     medical and social challenges facing our country today--the 
     severe burden of prostate cancer in African American men. 
     Together, our organizations represent millions of Americans. 
     We strongly urge you to support significant increases in 
     federal funding for prostate cancer research.
       African American men have the highest rate of prostate 
     cancer mortality in the world. In 1994, the prostate cancer 
     mortality rate for African American men was at least two 
     times higher than rates for all other racial and ethnic 
     groups in the U.S. Overall, prostate cancer is the most 
     commonly diagnosed cancer in America, excluding skin cancer, 
     and it is the second leading cause of cancer death among men. 
     Last year, 41,800 men died from prostate cancer and 209,000 
     were diagnosed with the disease.
       Federal funding for prostate cancer research has been 
     woefully inadequate, particularly given the devastating 
     impact of the disease. We therefore strongly urge you to 
     support increased appropriations for FY 1999 prostate cancer 
     research programs, including the following.
       Department of Defense (DOD)--The DOD conducts highly 
     successful peer reviewed research programs that are renowned 
     for their innovative and efficient use of resources. We call 
     on Congress to fund this innovative program at $175 million 
     for FY 1999--a level which is in the middle range of other 
     Congressionally-directed medical research programs at DOD.
       National Institutes of Health (NIH)--Prostate cancer 
     research at NIH has not reflected the incidence and mortality 
     rates of the disease. We believe prostate cancer research 
     funding at NIH must be substantially increased to a level 
     commensurate with the impact prostate cancer has on the 
     American population.
       Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)--The CDC 
     supports the development and communication of health messages 
     about prostate cancer screening and early detection, 
     particularly focusing on African American men and their 
     families. We believe the CDC appropriation for prostate 
     cancer must be doubled--to $10 million--so that it can engage 
     in aggressive outreach and education and health 
     communications research, particularly for high risk groups.
       We believe that the research programs of the National 
     Institutes of Health, the Department of Defense, and the 
     Centers for Disease Control and Prevention offer great 
     promise in the fight against prostate cancer in the African 
     American community. We urge you to support our request by 
     increasing funding for these critically important programs.
           Sincerely,
       David S. Rosenthal, M.D., President, American Cancer 
     Society.
       Thomas W. Dortch, Jr., President, 100 Black Men of America.
       Norman Hill, President, A. Philip Randolph Institute.
       Dale P. Dirks, Washington Representative, Associate of 
     Minority Health Professions Schools.
       Dr. Charles H. Mitchell, Co-Convener, Breakfast Group.
       Dr. Shirley B. Carmack, Founder, GNLD Wellness Center.
       Armin D. Weinberg. Ph.D., Co-Chair, Intercultural Cancer 
     Council.
       Kweisi, Mfume, President and CEO, NAACP.
       Deborah Lee-Eddie, President, National Association of 
     Health Services Executives.
       Dr. Betty Smith Williams, President, National Black Nurses 
     Association.
       Barbara P. Van Blake, Director, Human Rights and Community 
     Relations, American Federation of Teachers, AFL-CIO.
       Rev. Dr. Joseph E. Lowery, Chairman and CEO, Black 
     Leadership Forum.
       Wil Duncan, Special Assistant to the President, Coalition 
     of Black Trade Unionists.
       Lovell A. Jones, Ph.D., Co-Chair, Intercultural Cancer 
     Council.
       Abdul Alim Muhammad, M.D., Minister of Health and Human 
     Services, Nation of Islam.

[[Page S8812]]

       Edna Bell, President, National Association of Black County 
     Officials.
       The Honorable Roscoe Dixon, Chair, Health Committee, 
     National Black Caucus of State Legislators.
       William T. Merritt, President and CEO, National Black 
     United Fund.
       Henry L. English, President and CEO, Black United Fund of 
     Illinois.
       Jane E. Smith, Ed.D., President and CEO, National Council 
     of Negro Women.
       Garry A. Mendez, Jr., Executive Director, The National 
     Trust for the Development of African American Men.
       Warren R. Whitley, Grand Master, Most Worshipful Prince 
     Hall Grand Lodge.
       Marchel Smiley, President, International Caucus for People 
     of African Descent, Service Employees International Union.
       The Honorable Henrietta E. Turnquest, Georgia House of 
     Representatives, 73rd District.
       Dr. Barbara W. Carpenter, International President, Zeta Phi 
     Beta Sorority.
       Samuel J. Simmons,, President and CEO, The National Caucus 
     and Center on Black Aged.
       Jay H. Hedlund, President and CEO, National Prostate Cancer 
     Coalition.
       Dr. Dorsey C. Miller, Grand Basileus (National President), 
     Omega Psi Phi Fraternity.
       Howard D. Brown, Director for Black Catholic Ministry, 
     Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Altanta.
       Richard O. Butcher, M.D., President, Summit Health 
     Coalition.
       Henry A. Porterfield, Chairman and CEO, Us Too 
     International.

  Ms. MOSELEY-BRAUN. The compelling case this letter makes for dramatic 
increases in funding for prostate cancer research brings me to the last 
point I want to make. This Congress, this country, must do better. We 
must do more in the fight to bring a cure for prostate cancer.
  Just last year alone, the National Prostate Cancer Coalition 
identified more than $250 million of worthwhile prostate cancer 
research that was not conducted due to lack of funding. This inadequacy 
in funding is an unconscionable neglect of men with prostate cancer and 
their families. There needs to be an increased commitment to prostate 
cancer research.
  In June, President Clinton announced the release of $60 million for 
prostate cancer research grants in a promising new Department of 
Defense program modeled after the very successful DoD breast cancer 
program. Yet, the House has proposed to cut 75 percent of the funding 
for this important cancer research program. The House position will 
virtually kill a program that is critical to finding breakthroughs and 
a potential cure. The current Senate position also shrinks research 
funding for this program to $40 million. Instead, we should increase 
the funding to at least $80 million in order to maintain this ground 
breaking research program.
  While it is also important to increase the amount of prostate cancer 
research conducted by the National Cancer Institute (NCI), the Congress 
must not neglect the Department of Defense prostate cancer research 
program. We must not dash the hopes of prostate cancer patients, their 
families, and their supporters. As is the case with the DoD's breast 
cancer efforts, this program supports targeted research that 
complements the work of the NCI and is a necessary component of an 
overall national effort to find effective treatments for this disease.
  Mr. President, to do anything less would send a devastating message 
to the men living and dying from this disease, to their families, and 
to the scientific community that is working to find a cure. I call on 
this Congress to equip researchers with the tools they badly need to 
end this epidemic. For the one million Americans currently diagnosed 
with prostate cancer and their families, increased research funding is 
desperately needed now. Each day, more and more people will be 
affected. We cannot turn a deaf ear to their cries for help. It is time 
for the country and the Congress to make a commitment to equity in 
funding for prostate cancer research. It is time for us to give the 
researchers the resources they need to eradicate this silent 
killer.

                          ____________________