[Congressional Record Volume 150, Number 53 (Thursday, April 22, 2004)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E638]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]


[[Page E638]]
          RECOGNIZING NATIONAL MINORITY CANCER AWARENESS WEEK

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                       HON. LUCILLE ROYBAL-ALLARD

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                        Thursday, April 22, 2004

  Ms. ROYBAL-ALLARD. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to join my colleagues in 
recognizing the 18th National Minority Cancer Awareness Week.
  We continue to make great strides in the fight against cancer. As a 
member of the Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education 
Subcommittee of the Appropriations Committee, I was pleased to hear 
from Dr. Elias Zerhouni, the director of the National Institutes of 
Health, just this morning. Dr. Zerhouni and Dr. Von Eschenbach, the 
director of the National Cancer Institute, spoke about the enormous 
strides that are being made in cancer research. There are now 10 
million cancer survivors in the U.S. compared to 3 million in 1971. 
Death rates from the four most common cancers--lung, breast, prostate, 
and colorectal--continue to decline.
  However, cancer continues to take a significant toll in the U.S. This 
year, 1.3 million Americans will be diagnosed with cancer and, 
unfortunately, 556,000 are expected to die. Cancer remains the number 
two killer in the U.S.
  I am particularly dismayed to see that the benefits of the research--
the breakthroughs that have been made in terms of prevention and 
treatment--are not being enjoyed by all communities equally. Sadly, 
minority communities continue to bear a disproportionate burden of 
cancer cases.
  We know the consequences of such health disparities, and we know that 
many of them stem from inadequate access by our minority communities to 
preventative services and early detection. Minorities also have a lower 
survival rate. Clearly, these will continue to be significant issues 
that need to be addressed by the National Cancer Institute and the 
National Center for Minority Health and Health Disparities.
  I was very pleased to visit this week with constituents from my 
congressional district representing One Voice Against Cancer. My 
constituents included Ivonne DeCorra from Huntington Park and Julie 
Fleshman from Los Angeles, who is also the executive director of the 
Pancreatic Cancer Action Network. Another visitor, Michele Perry, knows 
the heartache of cancer first hand. Having lost her mother to cancer at 
a young age, Michele was herself diagnosed in 2000. Her personal trials 
however, have driven her to become an advocate for cancer research and 
patient programs so that she, her daughter, and countless other will 
never have to feel the heartache of cancer again.
  It is that type of dedication and commitment--stemming from sometimes 
tragic personal experiences--that have made One Voice Against Cancer an 
effective voice in advocating for adequate funding for cancer research, 
prevention and treatment. I and my colleagues heard their message this 
week, and despite difficult budget circumstances, we will continue the 
fight against cancer.
  The future health of America as a whole will be influenced 
substantially by our success in improving the health of minority and 
other medically underserved populations. By increasing awareness of 
programs and services in minority communities, we can provide an 
opportunity to engage these communities in the fight against cancer.
  That was the message of One Voice Against Cancer this week, 
incorporated in their theme--``Cancer is a Burden. Finding Help 
Shouldn't Be.'' And that is the message that my colleagues and I must 
act on as we recognize National Minority Cancer Awareness Week and 
continue the fight against cancer.

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