[Congressional Record Volume 154, Number 14 (Tuesday, January 29, 2008)]
[Senate]
[Page S448]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

      By Mrs. BOXER (for herself, Mrs. Dole, Mr. Tester, Mrs. Murray, 
        Mr. Wyden, Ms. Cantwell Ms. Stabenow, and Mr. Obama):
  S. 2569. A bill to amend the Public Health Service Act to authorize 
the Director of the National Cancer Institute to make grants for the 
discovery and validation of biomarkers for use in risk stratification 
for, and the early detection and screening of, ovarian cancer; to the 
Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions.
  Mrs. BOXER. Mr. President, today I am joined by my colleagues 
Senators Dole, Tester, Murray, Wyden, Cantwell, Stabenow, and Obama to 
introduce the Ovarian Cancer Biomarker Research Act of 2008--
legislation that supports the research of early detection and screening 
of ovarian cancer
  For many years, ovarian cancer has been called the ``silent killer'' 
because the list of symptoms women are warned to look out for are 
merely whispers about the dangers of this deadly disease.
  There is currently no effective screening test available for ovarian 
cancer and the disease is difficult to identify because symptoms are 
easily misdiagnosed. Without an effective screening test most women who 
have ovarian cancer are diagnosed too late to be saved.
  A woman's chance of surviving ovarian cancer is considerably greater 
if she is diagnosed early. When ovarian cander is diagnosed early, more 
than 93 percent of women survive longer than 5 years. Unfortunately, 4 
out of 5 ovarian cancer cases in the U.S. are diagnosed in the later 
stages, when a woman's chance of surviving that long drops to about 30 
percent.
  Though only one in 69 women will face ovarian cancer, this disease 
ranks fifth in cancer deaths among women and causes more deaths than 
any other cancer of the female reproductive system. In the last year 
alone, the National Cancer Institute, (NCI), estimated there were 
15,280 deaths from ovarian cancer in the U.S.
  Developing the tools to detect ovarian cancer early is critical to 
improving the rate of survival for women struck by this disease--that 
is why this legislation is so necessary.
  Specifically, the Ovarian Cancer Biomarker Research Act would 
authorize NCI to make grants for public or nonprofit entities to 
establish research centers focused on ovarian cancer biomarkers. 
Biomarkers are biochemical features within the body that can be used to 
measure the progress of a disease and predict the effects of treatment. 
This legislation also authorizes funding for 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.
  I urge my colleagues to join me as well as the Society of Gynecologic 
Oncologists, the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, 
the Ovarian Cancer National Alliance, and the American College of 
Surgeons in supporting the Ovarian Cancer Biomarker Research Act of 
2008.
  This legislation is of vital importance to the health of thousands of 
women across our Nation. I look forward to working with my colleagues 
to pass this critical investment in the fight against ovarian cancer.
                                 ______