[Congressional Record Volume 163, Number 193 (Tuesday, November 28, 2017)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1611]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                           PANCREATIC CANCER

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                       HON. CHRISTOPHER H. SMITH

                             of new jersey

                    in the house of representatives

                       Tuesday, November 28, 2017

  Mr. SMITH of New Jersey. Mr. Speaker, November has been dedicated as 
Pancreatic Cancer Awareness Month. As such, I would like to help 
acknowledge all those affected by this type of cancer and to bring more 
awareness to the medical research needed to help fight this disease.
  In June 2017, the Pancreatic Cancer Action Network reported that 
pancreatic cancer is ranked the ninth most commonly diagnosed cancer 
among women and the 11th among men, and is the third leading cause of 
cancer-related death in the United States.
  In fact, I have been contacted by several constituents who have lost 
loved ones to pancreatic cancer.
  According to the Pancreatic Cancer Action Network, pancreatic cancer 
is often found in its advanced stages and is both difficult to detect 
and to treat. Unfortunately, major symptoms of pancreatic cancer, which 
include nausea, diabetes, abdominal or back pain, and loss of appetite, 
among others, are often overlooked as symptomatic of more common health 
conditions. The organization stated that about 71 percent of 
individuals will not live past the first year of diagnosis and the 
disease is projected to move from the third leading cause of cancer-
related death to the second by 2020.
  Tragically, the five-year survival rate for those with pancreatic 
cancer is nine percent--the lowest survival rate among major forms of 
cancer. We must utilize all federal resources available to meet this 
devastating disease head on and ensure better outcomes for patients and 
their families. That is why I have consistently advocated for an 
increase in funding for the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to 
ensure that projects--including those which seek to find cures, improve 
treatments and gain a better understanding of the complex causes of 
cancers that affect millions of Americans--are well funded. This fall, 
I supported an increase in funding for NIH in the FY 2018 Omnibus 
Appropriations Act, which includes $5.5 billion for the National Cancer 
Institute.
  I also urged the House Appropriations Committee to include pancreatic 
cancer as an eligible research category in the Peer Reviewed Cancer 
Research Program (PRCRP)--and the House bill, which passed on June 
16th, maintained this eligibility. The Department of Defense conducts 
high-impact innovative research through the PRCRP that has been used to 
improve early detection of pancreatic cancer, to better understand the 
prognosis of pancreatic cancer patients, and to improve the well-being 
of individuals with a pancreatic cancer diagnosis.
  While these resources for pancreatic cancer are an important 
investment, we know that so often laudable initiatives and innovative 
research projects sit idle because of funding limitations. Therefore, 
we must continue to work to ensure that these research projects receive 
sufficient resources.
  Those suffering from pancreatic cancer, as well as their loved ones 
and caregivers, need vocal advocates on Capitol Hill to ensure access 
to quality care and treatments. We have a duty to see that programs 
which research detection and treatment are supported appropriately at a 
federal level. It is my hope that, by recognizing Pancreatic Cancer 
Awareness Month, we can raise awareness of the risks of pancreatic 
cancer and the urgency to treat it.
  I look forward to continuing to work with my colleagues in Congress 
and with advocates across the nation as we move forward in this fight 
against cancer

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