[Congressional Record Volume 151, Number 137 (Tuesday, October 25, 2005)]
[Senate]
[Page S11818]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                     BREAST CANCER AWARENESS MONTH

  Mr. HARKIN. Mr. President, I rise today to recognize National Breast 
Cancer Awareness Month, and call for quick passage of the Breast Cancer 
Environmental Research Act. Breast Cancer is a disease that has 
impacted virtually every American's life, including my own. My two 
sisters both had breast cancer and died of the disease. Sadly, they 
contracted breast cancer at a time when regular mammograms and improved 
treatment methods were not widely available. More than 3 million women 
are currently living with breast cancer, and each year, tens of 
thousands of women die from this disease.
  In 1992, I offered an amendment to dedicate $210 million in the 
Defense Department budget to begin the Breast Cancer Research Program, 
a partnership between the military, medical, and breast cancer survivor 
communities to develop and implement innovative research towards the 
goal of curing and eliminating breast cancer. This funding was in 
addition to the funding for breast cancer research conducted at the 
National Institutes of Health. My amendment passed and overnight it 
doubled Federal funding for breast cancer. Since then, funding for 
breast cancer research has been included in the Defense Department 
budget every year.
  Almost a decade ago, when I looked into the issue of breast cancer 
research, I discovered that barely $90 million was spent on breast 
cancer research. Today, I am proud to say that between the Department 
of Defense, the National Institutes of Health and the Centers for 
Disease Control and Prevention, nearly a billion dollars annually is 
being spent on finding a cure for breast cancer. Scientific researchers 
are making exciting discoveries about the causes of breast cancer and 
its prevention, detection, diagnosis, treatment and control, leading to 
real progress in our war against this devastating disease. We know 
better than ever before how a healthy cell can become cancerous, how 
breast cancer spreads, why some tumors are more aggressive than others 
and why some women suffer more severely and are more likely to die of 
the disease.
  However, our work is not done. While important advances have been 
made, we still do not know what causes this disease, or how to prevent 
it. Today, I call upon my Senate colleagues to cosponsor the Breast 
Cancer Environmental Research Act, legislation modeled after the 
Defense Department's Breast Cancer Research Program. The Breast Cancer 
Environmental Research Act would establish eight centers to conduct 
research on environmental factors that may contribute to breast cancer 
and, importantly, would require collaboration with community 
organizations in the areas where the centers are established. I 
strongly believe any breast cancer research must include the 
perspectives of breast cancer survivors, and this legislation does so 
by including consumer advocates in the peer review and programmatic 
review process. In addition, the legislation is structured to ensure 
the kind of efficiency and public accountability that has made an 
overwhelming number of Senate colleagues, as well as scientists and 
consumers, so supportive of the Department of Defense Breast Cancer 
Research Program. I urge my colleagues to support the Breast Cancer 
Environmental Research Act.

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