[Congressional Record Volume 156, Number 133 (Wednesday, September 29, 2010)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1834]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




           RECOGNIZING NATIONAL BREAST CANCER AWARENESS MONTH

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                           HON. KATHY CASTOR

                               of florida

                    in the house of representatives

                     Wednesday, September 29, 2010

  Ms. CASTOR of Florida. Madam Speaker, I rise today to recognize 
National Breast Cancer Awareness Month beginning Friday, October 1, 
2010. This month also marks the 20th anniversary of the CDC's National 
Breast and Cervical Cancer Early Detection Program (NBCCEDP), which 
provides breast health services to underserved women.
  Breast cancer will strike 1.3 million women this year and kill almost 
500,000 in the U.S. African American, Native American and Hispanic 
women are more likely to be diagnosed with advanced stages of cancer 
than white women, and the death rates for African American women are 
about 17% higher than those of white women. Even with the increase of 
breast cancer among minorities, there are 2.5 million breast cancer 
survivors living in the U.S. today--a testament to the power of 
education, early detection and advances in treatment.
  Because early detection is the key to surviving breast cancer, 
NBCCEDP has provided breast and cervical cancer screening, diagnostics 
and case management services to low-income, uninsured women for the 
past two decades.
  In 2009, NBCCEDP screened almost 325,000 women for breast cancer and 
detected 4,600 breast cancers. If those 4,600 women diagnosed with 
cancer last year did not use the NBCCEDP, they would have likely been 
diagnosed at later stages with larger tumors, when cancer is harder to 
treat and more deadly.
  Despite efforts to eliminate disparities in breast cancer related 
care, substantial disparities remain, which is why I am proud to be the 
sponsor of H.R. 2279, the Eliminating Disparities of Breast Cancer 
Treatment Act, along with Representative Donna Christensen. This act 
ensures that every breast cancer patient, regardless of health 
insurance status, race, income, or educational background, receives 
adequate care through the development of standard best practices for 
breast cancer treatment.
  Madam Speaker, I ask that we support the health and wellness of all 
women and continue to close the gaps in treatment among minorities by 
recognizing the month of October as National Breast Cancer Awareness 
Month.

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