[Congressional Record Volume 157, Number 173 (Monday, November 14, 2011)]
[House]
[Page H7420]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




            PROVIDING HOPE FOR THOSE WITH PANCREATIC CANCER

  (Mr. PAULSEN asked and was given permission to address the House for 
1 minute.)
  Mr. PAULSEN. Madam Speaker, I rise today for the 44,030 Americans who 
will be diagnosed with pancreatic cancer this year and also for the 600 
Minnesotans in my own community who, sadly, lost their lives in their 
fight against this devastating disease in 2010.
  November is Pancreatic Cancer Awareness Month. This little-understood 
disease is the number four killer in the United States and the only one 
in the top four which does not have a known cure. Of all of the cancers 
tracked by both the American Cancer Society and the National Cancer 
Institute, pancreatic cancer has the lowest relative survival rate.
  Over the past 5 years, more than 210,000 individuals have been 
diagnosed with pancreatic cancer, and over 92 percent of those 
diagnosed have passed away during the first year of their diagnosis. 
These numbers are simply unacceptable.
  To help find a cure, researchers must have the tools they need to 
learn more about this disease. That's why I've supported legislation 
that provides funding for assistance and education around pancreatic 
cancer across our country.
  Madam Speaker, pancreatic cancer is one of the few cancers for which 
survival rates have not improved substantially over the past 40 years. 
By volunteering and supporting research, we can do a lot to defeat this 
debilitating disease.

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