[Congressional Record Volume 160, Number 132 (Tuesday, September 16, 2014)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E1424-E1425]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                          FIGHT AGAINST CANCER

                                 ______
                                 

                           HON. CHRIS STEWART

                                of utah

                    in the house of representatives

                      Tuesday, September 16, 2014

  Mr. STEWART. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to speak about the fight 
against cancer. Although there have been great medical strides made 
over the years, it is sobering to think that today, in this nation, 
someone will die of cancer every 60 seconds. That is a terrible 
outcome, and we need to remain vigilant in our fight to eradicate this 
awful disease.
   It is true that much has been done in recent decades to extend 
lives, to save lives, and to improve the lives of individuals who have 
cancer, but still there is much more that we can do. Patients are still 
being denied access to innovative treatments for reasons that have 
nothing to do with the effectiveness of a treatment and everything to 
do with the fact that we are studying, regulating, and paying for new 
cancer drugs in the same way we did 50 years ago. In the face of the 
Ebola crisis, the federal government and healthcare organizations have 
reduced regulatory barriers in order to reduce the time required to get 
new medicines to patients from six years to less than two. We owe it to 
cancer patients to allow them the same rapid access to these 
treatments, particularly when it might be their only hope of survival.
   In particular, there are three at least policy objectives we should 
be pursuing: (1) to direct the FDA to approve new life-extending drugs 
for cancer once Phase I studies show a high

[[Page E1425]]

response rate; (2) to encourage programs that provide early detection 
and identification of genetic mutations that are known to increase 
cancer risks; and (3) to require that the FDA accelerate access to 
experimental treatments for patients who have run out of treatment 
options or are excluded from clinical trials.
   These are critical policy goals that must be considered by Congress. 
There is no doubt that some minds at the FDA may be difficult to 
change. But I believe that difficulty cannot be compared to the life 
and death decisions that our citizens and their families and friends 
face when access to the innovative cancer therapies that provide their 
best or only chance to save, prolong and improve their lives remains 
out of reach because of our lack of action.
   This is a challenge we can meet, and I'm optimistic that we will.

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