[Congressional Record Volume 148, Number 116 (Friday, September 13, 2002)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1577]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

[[Page E1577]]



              SEPTEMBER IS PROSTATE CANCER AWARENESS MONTH

                                 ______
                                 

                        HON. BENNIE G. THOMPSON

                             of mississippi

                    in the house of representatives

                       Friday, September 13, 2002

  Mr. THOMPSON of Mississippi. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to express my 
commitment to finding better treatments and, eventually, a cure for an 
all-too-quiet killer--prostate cancer. Prostate cancer Is a deadly 
disease that affects American men. As protectors of the American 
family, it is crucial to inform the public of the crucial role a basic 
medical check-up can play in detecting this potentially deadly disease. 
In order to achieve this goal, our Nation's premiere health agencies 
must be fully engaged and adequately funded by Congress.
  Mr. Speaker, in 1998, Congress recognized that prostate cancer 
research was under-funded and, as a result, requested that the National 
Institutes of Health (NIH) submit a five-year professional judgment 
budget (1999-2003). The purpose of this document was to demonstrate how 
best to improve federal prostate cancer research efforts.
  Congress received the budget plan in June of 1999. The plan promised 
an investment of more than $1.5 billion for prostate cancer research. 
Unfortunately, real investment has fallen short of its projected 
finding commitment, and prostate cancer research has not kept pace with 
scientific opportunities and the proportion of the male population who 
are afflicted with the disease. As a result, the 107th Congress is now 
asking NIH to provide an updated five-year plan for the next five 
years.
  Mr. Speaker, in addition to instructing NIH to develop a new and 
achievable five-year plan, Congress must insist on greater 
accountability to ensure all federal funds for cancer research are 
appropriately expended for this purpose. An investment in cancer 
research will not only yield dividends in lives saved but, also, in 
dollars and cents. Cancer already costs this country more than $150 
billion annually. With the ``graying'' of the baby boomers, it has been 
estimated by THE MARCH Research Task Force that, if left unchecked, 
costs associated with cancer will jump to a staggering $200 billion 
before we see tile end of the decade.
  In 1971, President Richard Nixon declared American's war on cancer, 
promising to end its toll on our society within a decade. Each 
subsequent Administration has reaffirmed this commitment, yet the 
number of cancer cases and death continue to grow. As you may be aware, 
more than 1.2 million new cases of cancer were diagnosed in the United 
States in 2001, and an estimated 553,000 lives were lost. Tragically, 
prostate cancer represents 15 percent of all cancer cases and accounts 
for 15 percent of all cancer deaths.
  Mr. Speaker. This country can and must do better than this. While 
recent increases in prostate cancer research funding are welcome and 
have proved vital, the sad truth is that Congress' efforts have not 
been sufficient to ensure the most promising paths to treatment and 
cure are adequately funded or implemented.
  I encourage my Colleagues to join with me to ensure our country's war 
on cancer in general, and prostate cancer in particular, moves forward 
with a new resolve to beat these dreaded diseases once and for all.

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