[Congressional Record Volume 153, Number 146 (Friday, September 28, 2007)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E2017-E2018]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




   INTRODUCTION OF THE OVARIAN CANCER BIOMARKER RESEARCH ACT OF 2007

                                 ______
                                 

                           HON. RALPH M. HALL

                                of texas

                    in the house of representatives

                      Thursday, September 27, 2007

  Mr. HALL of Texas. Madam Speaker, I rise today to proudly present the 
Ovarian Cancer Biomarker Research Act of 2007, along with my friend and 
colleague, Representative Howard L. Berman.
  Detecting this cancer early is the key to preventing deaths from this 
disease. In cases where ovarian cancer detection happens before it has 
spread beyond the ovaries, more than 93 percent of women survive longer 
than five years. When diagnosed in the advanced stages, the chance of 
five-year survival drops

[[Page E2018]]

to about 30 percent. Currently, early stage diagnosis occurs in only 20 
percent of ovarian cancer cases in the U.S. Ovarian cancer mortality 
could be reduced dramatically if a majority of the women affected with 
ovarian cancer were diagnosed at an early stage. Unfortunately, there 
is no widely accepted or effective screening test for ovarian cancer 
currently available and it is difficult to diagnose because symptoms 
are easily confused with other diseases.
  The Ovarian Cancer Biomarker Research Act of 2007 would authorize the 
National Cancer Institute to make grants to public or nonprofit 
entities to establish research centers focused on ovarian cancer 
biomarkers. Biomarkers are biochemical features within the body that 
may be used to determine the presence and extent of and/or predict 
response to therapy and ultimate prognosis. This Act also establishes a 
national clinical trial that will enroll at-risk women in a study to 
determine the clinical utility of using these validated ovarian cancer 
biomarkers.
  A former staff member of mine, Grace Warren, was diagnosed with 
ovarian cancer a few years ago. She has been a champion for this 
cause--I draw strength from her strength and faith from her faith on 
how she lives with and battles with this disease everyday. We must 
continue to raise awareness of the symptoms. Women with common symptoms 
such as abdominal pressure, nausea, indigestion, unusual fatigue, and 
unexplained weight gain or loss should not ignore these warning signs. 
For Grace and all the other women who fight this disease, I say to you 
that I will keep fighting, too, until we find a cure.
  We encourage you to join with us, the Society of Gynecologic 
Oncologists (SGO), the American College of Obstetricians and 
Gynecologists (ACOG), the Ovarian Cancer National Alliance, and the 
American College of Surgeons (ACS) in supporting the Ovarian Cancer 
Biomarker Research Act of 2007.

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