[Congressional Record Volume 157, Number 193 (Thursday, December 15, 2011)]
[Senate]
[Pages S8690-S8691]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




  RECOGNIZING THE 40TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE NATIONAL CANCER ACT OF 1971

  Mr. DURBIN. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the HELP 
Committee be discharged from further consideration of S. Res. 347 and 
the Senate proceed to its immediate consideration.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered. The clerk 
will report the resolution by title.
  The legislative clerk read as follows:

       A resolution (S. Res. 347) recognizing the 40th anniversary 
     of the National Cancer Act of 1971 and the more than 
     12,000,000 survivors of cancer alive today because of the 
     commitment of the United States to cancer research and 
     advances in cancer prevention, detection, diagnosis, and 
     treatment.

  There being no objection, the Senate proceeded to consider the 
resolution.
  Mr. DURBIN. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent to be added as 
cosponsor of this measure.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.
  Mr. DURBIN. Mr. President, I further ask that the resolution be 
agreed to, the preamble be agreed to, the motions to reconsider be laid 
upon the table, with no intervening action or debate, and that any 
statements be printed in the Record.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.
  The resolution (S. Res. 347) was agreed to.
  The preamble was agreed to.
  The resolution, with its preamble, reads as follows:

                              S. Res. 347

       Whereas 40 years ago, with the passage of the National 
     Cancer Act of 1971 (Public Law 92-218; 85 Stat. 778), the 
     leaders of the United States came together to set the country 
     on a concerted course to conquer cancer through research;
       Whereas the passage of the National Cancer Act of 1971 led 
     to the establishment of the National Cancer Program, which 
     significantly expanded the authorities and responsibilities 
     of the National Cancer Institute, a component of the National 
     Institutes of Health;
       Whereas the term ``cancer'' refers to more than 200 
     diseases that collectively represent the leading cause of 
     death for people in the United States under the age of 85, 
     and the second leading cause of death for people in the 
     United States overall;
       Whereas cancer touches everyone, either through a direct, 
     personal diagnosis or indirectly through the diagnosis of a 
     family member or friend;
       Whereas, in 2011, cancer remains one of the most pressing 
     public health concerns in the United States, with more than 
     1,500,000 people in the United States expected to be 
     diagnosed with cancer each year;
       Whereas the National Institutes of Health estimated the 
     overall cost of cancer to be greater than $260,000,000,000 in 
     2010 alone;
       Whereas approximately 1 out of every 3 women and 1 out of 
     every 2 men will develop cancer in their lifetimes, and more 
     than 570,000 people in the United States will die from cancer 
     this year, which is more than 1 person every minute and 
     nearly 1 out of every 4 deaths;
       Whereas the commitment of the United States to cancer 
     research and biomedical science has enabled more than 
     12,000,000 people in the United States to survive cancer, 15 
     percent of whom were diagnosed 20 or more years ago, and has 
     resulted in extraordinary progress being made against cancer, 
     including--
       (1) an increase in the average 5-year survival rate for all 
     cancers combined to 68 percent for adults and 80 percent for 
     children and adolescents, up from 50 percent and 52 percent, 
     respectively, in 1971;
       (2) average 5-year survival rates for breast and prostate 
     cancers exceeding 90 percent;
       (3) a decline in mortality due to colorectal cancer and 
     prostate cancer; and
       (4) from 1990 to 2007, a decline in the death rate from all 
     cancers combined of 22 percent for men and 14 percent for 
     women, resulting in nearly 900,000 fewer deaths during that 
     period;

       Whereas the driving force behind this progress has been 
     support for the National Cancer Institute and its parent 
     agency, the National Institutes of Health, which funds the 
     work of more than 325,000 researchers and research personnel 
     at more than 3,000 universities, medical schools, medical 
     centers, teaching hospitals, small businesses, and research 
     institutions in every State;
       Whereas the commitment of the United States to cancer 
     research has yielded substantial returns in both research 
     advances and lives saved, and it is estimated that every 1 
     percent decline in cancer mortality saves the economy of the 
     United States $500,000,000,000 annually;
       Whereas advancements in understanding the causes and 
     mechanisms of cancer and improvements in the detection, 
     diagnosis, treatment, and prevention of cancer have led to 
     cures for many types of cancers and have converted other 
     types of cancers into manageable chronic conditions;
       Whereas continued support for clinical trials to evaluate 
     the efficacy and therapeutic benefit of promising treatments 
     for cancer is essential for translating new knowledge and 
     discoveries into tangible benefits for patients, especially 
     because all standard cancer therapies began as clinical 
     trials;
       Whereas, despite the significant progress that has been 
     made in treating many cancers, there remain those cancers for 
     which the mortality rate is extraordinarily high, including 
     pancreatic, liver, lung, multiple myeloma, ovarian, 
     esophageal, stomach, and brain cancers, which have a 5-year 
     survival rate of less than 50 percent;
       Whereas research advances concerning uncommon cancers, 
     which pose unique treatment challenges, provide an 
     opportunity for understanding the general properties of human 
     cancers and curing uncommon cancers as well as more common 
     cancers;
       Whereas crucial developments have been achieved in cancer 
     research that could provide breakthroughs necessary to 
     address the increasing incidence of, and reduce deaths caused 
     by, many forms of cancer;
       Whereas research into the effect of certain forms of cancer 
     on different population groups offers a significant 
     opportunity to lessen the burden of the disease, because many 
     population groups across the country suffer 
     disproportionately from certain forms of cancer; and
       Whereas a sustained commitment to the research of the 
     National Institutes of Health

[[Page S8691]]

     and the National Cancer Institute is necessary to improve the 
     entire spectrum of patient care, from cancer prevention, 
     early detection, and diagnosis, to treatment and long-term 
     survivorship, and to prevent research advances from being 
     stalled or delayed: Now, therefore, be it
       Resolved, That the Senate--
       (1) recognizes the 40th anniversary of the National Cancer 
     Act of 1971 (Public Law 92-218; 85 Stat. 778); and
       (2) celebrates and reaffirms the commitment embodied in the 
     National Cancer Act of 1971, specifically, that support for 
     cancer research continues to be a national priority to 
     address the scope of this pressing public health concern.

     

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