[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 160 (2014), Part 6]
[House]
[Pages 7675-7680]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                            CANCER RESEARCH

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under the Speaker's announced policy of 
January 3, 2013, the gentleman from New Jersey (Mr. Lance) is 
recognized for 60 minutes as the designee of the majority leader.
  Mr. LANCE. Mr. Speaker, tonight, my colleagues and I rise to discuss 
a matter that has touched virtually every family America and is one of 
the great public health challenges of our time--or indeed, of any 
time--and that is the challenge of cancer, the diagnosis no person 
wants to hear and the battle no one should face alone.
  From those in treatment to those working toward prevention to friends 
and family dealing with the terrible illness of a loved one, everyone 
knows someone who has been afflicted with cancer. Cancer has been the 
great health menace of the last century.
  But now, here in the 21st century, medical advancement, innovative 
treatments, and the genius of many scientists and medical doctors are 
everyday bringing us closer to a cure.
  We await the advent of new technologies and of work here in Congress 
to deliver the tools and resources both to public and to private 
industry to spur the research and collaborations that will change the 
health of the world.
  It is my judgment that the United States is really the medical center 
of the entire world and that its brilliant medical doctors and 
scientists here in this country will lead the charge in the new 
century.
  Clinical oncologists are on the cutting edge of that research and are 
responsible for many of the advances in cancer care that are improving 
the lives and prognoses for many cancer patients.
  This year marks the 50th anniversary of the American Society of 
Clinical Oncology, a group which represents nearly 35,000 oncology 
professionals across the world.
  When ASCO was founded in 1964, it dedicated itself to a challenging 
mission: a commitment to conquer cancer through research, education, 
prevention, and the delivery of high-quality patient care.
  When ASCO was founded, cancer was widely regarded as an untreatable 
disease, with fewer than one-half of patients alive 5 years after 
diagnosis. There was an undeniable stigma associated with a cancer 
diagnosis that left

[[Page 7676]]

many patients to suffer in silence, with minimal support, and worse, 
few effective therapies.
  But because of the work of passionate advocates and tireless 
champions, the expertise of talented medical professionals, including 
those at the American Society of Clinical Oncology, today the survival 
rate is higher than two-thirds.
  Better cancer prevention and detection, improved care coordination, 
and the use of palliative care have proven to improve patients' quality 
of life dramatically and to increase survival rates dramatically.
  ASCO has put forward new technologies such as nanotechnology, medical 
imaging, and health information technology that are leading to entirely 
new ways to develop therapies. If these advances are fully realized, 
people with cancer will be able to receive more personalized and more 
effective treatment.
  In my work on the Energy and Commerce Committee, and particularly on 
its Health Subcommittee, I am sure that the wave of the future is 
personalized medical care. In a coordinated capacity, the members of 
the committee, and particularly of the subcommittee, are working 
together to create that new wave of the future regarding personalized 
medicine.
  Federal investments in cancer research have also resulted in a 
massive increase in the number and the quality of treatments available 
to cancer patients.
  I have the highest confidence in Dr. Francis Collins and his team at 
the National Institutes of Health. I have toured NIH's magnificent 
facility in Bethesda, the best of its kind on the face of the Earth. I 
can report that some of the best doctors, the greatest intellects, and 
dedicated professionals are working every day to course the future of 
medicine and tackle this terrible disease.
  We must continue our Nation's commitment to NIH to keep the United 
States as the global center of medical innovation.
  Yesterday, Mr. Speaker, the chairman of the Energy and Commerce 
Committee, Mr. Upton of Michigan, convened a roundtable with many of 
the most brilliant doctors regarding issues affecting the NIH. We were 
privileged that Dr. Collins joined us.
  But the work will not be done alone by public entities such as the 
Federal Government and NIH. In fact, great minds from across this 
Nation and around the world have brought their desire to rid the world 
of cancer to some of the finest companies on the forefront of this 
research.
  I am honored to say that many of these life science leaders in the 
medical and biopharmaceutical research and development field call the 
district I serve and the State I serve, New Jersey, home. There is work 
on cancer solutions every day in labs I have the honor of representing.
  The district I serve, Mr. Speaker, has more pharmaceutical and 
medical device employees than any other district in the United States. 
But that is not to say we are alone. There are magnificent facilities 
across this country. They will be described, I believe, by colleagues 
of mine this evening.
  I know there is great interest and commitment in the House of 
Representatives, as demonstrated by the participation this evening of 
distinguished Members, including Mr. Higgins of western New York. And 
certainly, without a doubt, Buffalo is one of the leading centers not 
only in this Nation but across the globe in medical technology and 
medical research, and extremely high-quality institutions of medical 
care.
  Of course, there is the work of the House Energy and Commerce 
Committee. Our committee has broad jurisdiction over Federal agencies 
and policies important to health care, to medical research, and to the 
life sciences sectors.
  I also have the honor of serving as the Republican chair of the Rare 
Disease Caucus, another mantle by which we discuss needs and ideas in 
the cancer support community. I am joined in that caucus with the 
Democratic chair, Congressman Crowley of the great city of New York.
  One of the major endeavors of the Energy and Commerce Committee will 
be to pursue an initiative of Chairman Upton's that he has titled, 
``The 21st Century Cures,'' an effort that aims to accelerate the pace 
of cures and medical breakthroughs here in the United States.
  For the first time, Congress will take a comprehensive look at the 
full arc of accelerating cures, from the discovery of clues in basic 
science to streamlining the drug and device development process to 
unleashing the power of medicine in the treatment delivery phase.

                              {time}  2015

  In one of the inaugural hearings this week, the incredible 
advancements in cancer research were discussed, and the great 
opportunities presented to advance new cures and treatments for other 
diseases were discussed.
  The committee will focus on the cycle of discovery, development, and 
delivery that saves lives. We, in Congress, want to work effectively 
and efficiently and ensure that there is no gap between 20th century 
science and the Washington regulatory process.
  ASCO is well-positioned for the type of 21st century science the 
committee is working to facilitate: accelerating the pace of clinical 
cancer research, establishing a new approach to therapeutic development 
and new technologies to obtain a greater understanding of cancer 
biology, and the needs that Congress and the administration are willing 
to work together for solutions to the market.
  Let me say, Mr. Speaker, that we are anxious to work with the 
administration, and we want to be a partner with the executive branch, 
making sure that we work as effectively as possible in fighting cancer.
  This is, by no means, a partisan matter; and, indeed, it goes beyond 
being a bipartisan matter. It is really nonpartisan in nature.
  Besides providing better outcomes for patients, benefits of more 
rigorous trial designs include the ability to design smaller and 
smarter clinical trials that can be conducted faster than larger trials 
that aim for smaller benefits for patients.
  These steps represent significant new momentum toward a 21st century 
research system that realizes the potential of precision medicine. As 
we personalize medicine in this country, it is based, in no small 
measure, on precision medicine; and this, again, is the wave of the 
future.
  On these critical public health issues, the public and private sector 
have worked together to make a difference in improving the highest 
quality of health care, the highest quality that the American people 
deserve.
  Congress is contributing by giving public research the 21st century 
tools to compete on the global stage and empowering private innovators 
to solve these great complexities in American laboratories. This is how 
Congress should work, together, on issues that make a lasting 
difference.
  Too often, Mr. Speaker, we are viewed as divisive, as overly 
partisan, as not coming together on the great issues confronting the 
American Nation. Let me make as clear as possible, on the fight against 
cancer, we are working closely together; and we are working with our 
partners in the nonprofit sector and our partners in the private 
sector.
  This is a three-legged stool. One of those legs--indispensable--is 
the involvement of the Federal Government, particularly through NIH, 
but through other agencies as well and through our oversight capacity 
here in Congress, making sure that drugs are brought to market as 
quickly as possible with, of course, recognizing that paramount is the 
safety of those drugs brought to market.
  ASCO and those of us in the Congress and leaders in the life science 
industries renew our commitment to the millions of patients and their 
families who will benefit from more timely access to innovative medical 
technologies.
  More than 40 years ago, President Nixon declared a war on cancer, and 
tremendous advances have been made

[[Page 7677]]

from that initial declaration of war; but the war has not yet been 
fully won, and it is our responsibility, in our generation, to make 
sure we do as much as possible so that that war will be won.
  While we do not know the cure for all cancers, we do know that 
awareness is the best protection, and well-rounded care during and 
after treatment is the best therapy.
  These burdens often fall on loved ones. I am thankful for the 
families and the advocates whose challenges we may never understand 
fully, but whose commitment to loved ones is unyielding and inspiring.
  To ASCO and the other heroes of cancer care, I thank you for all that 
you have done and all that you will continue to do. We are here, in 
Congress, in a bipartisan capacity, to help give you the tools you need 
to succeed in the fight against cancer.
  Mr. Speaker, I yield to the distinguished gentleman from New York 
(Mr. Higgins).
  Mr. HIGGINS. Mr. Speaker, I want to thank my colleague from New 
Jersey for his leadership on this issue, for his eloquent opening, and 
I want to echo his sentiments in congratulating the American Society of 
Clinical Oncology.
  As my colleague has said, we have made major advancements in cancer 
research in this country. Thirty years ago, less than 50 percent of 
those who were diagnosed with cancer lived beyond 5 years of their 
diagnosis. Today, it is over 65 percent for adults and over 80 percent 
for children.
  Historically, you had, really, three options with cancer. You could 
burn it out through radiation, you could cut it out through surgery, or 
you could poison the fast-growing cancer cells; but the problem is you 
were also killing healthy cells, as well, through chemotherapy.
  Today, because of medical research, we now have smart drugs, drugs 
that will attack fast-growing cancer cells, without attacking fast-
growing healthy cells.
  We also have a number of clinical trials going on, including right in 
Buffalo, New York, at Roswell Park Cancer Institute, clinical trials 
for vaccines that treat the body's dendritic cells toward the goal of 
helping the body naturally fight cancer.
  We have made major progress, but as my friend from New Jersey has 
said, we still have much further to go.
  People realize that early detection is very, very important in 
effectively treating cancer. Less than 10 percent of cancer deaths 
occur from the original tumor.
  It is when cancer metastasizes, when it grows, when it advances to a 
vital organ that we need, is when cancer becomes lethal. That is why it 
is important for early detection, which will dramatically increase the 
survival rate of cancer patients.
  As the gentleman from New Jersey also indicated, Buffalo and western 
New York is home to Roswell Park Cancer Institute, the first 
comprehensive cancer center in the entire Nation.
  Roswell Park gave the Nation and the world chemotherapy in 1904. It 
gave the Nation and the world the prostate-specific antigen test, the 
PSA test, to detect prostate cancer; and it also did groundbreaking 
work in the link between tobacco use and smoking and cancer.
  One of every three women in this Nation will develop invasive cancer 
in their lifetime. One of every two men, during their lifetime, will 
develop invasive cancer. The incidence is higher for men because they 
smoke more.
  We have a long way to go. We have made major progress. The gentleman 
had said Richard Nixon had declared a war on cancer in 1971, and that 
was a major, major initiative on the part of the Federal Government.
  What we know also, from cancer research, is the only failure in that 
research is when you quit or you are forced to quit because of lack of 
funding.
  A lot of these new drugs that are coming to market today have been in 
various phases of discovery for the past 20 years, so to sustain cancer 
research is to produce promising new therapies, but to also encourage 
young researchers to stay in the field.
  That is our obligation, as Democrats and Republicans of this body, in 
recognizing that we must fully fund the National Institutes of Health 
and the National Cancer Institute.
  Mr. LANCE. I thank the gentleman.
  Mr. Speaker, I now yield to the gentleman from Tennessee (Mr. 
Fleischmann).
  Mr. FLEISCHMANN. Mr. Speaker, to my distinguished colleagues from New 
Jersey and from New York, I thank both of you all for addressing this 
issue, which is of national importance.
  What both of my colleagues have said, Mr. Speaker, is correct. Cancer 
is a hideous disease, and we need a national commitment to beat this 
horrific disease.
  I want to talk tonight to the American people about a personal 
experience that I had with cancer. At the same time, I want to also, as 
my distinguished colleagues did, honor the American Society of Clinical 
Oncology for their efforts to fight cancer.
  When I was 9 years old, my mother developed breast cancer. I was more 
worried about playing baseball, being a kid; and I can remember vividly 
the doctor saying: your mother has cancer.
  My parents were from the World War II generation. My mother was born 
in 1922, my dad in 1925, and they did not have a formal education; but 
I knew something was very wrong that night, and I knew my mother was 
going to have breast cancer surgery, but I didn't know what cancer was.
  We had hoped and prayed that she would get better. Well, about 2 
years later, unfortunately, that cancer did metastasize. At the time, 
my father was working away several hundred miles to keep a job, and I 
was an only child, and I can remember my mother waking up screaming in 
pain.
  Actually, I didn't realize the cancer had come back, and actually, I 
called my dad, at that time, who was working in Pittsburgh; and 
basically, he called the surgeon, and the surgeon said: bring her on 
in, but I think the cancer is back.
  Unfortunately, despite some chemotherapy and treatment, she lost that 
battle to cancer when I was 13 years old. I was a freshman in high 
school. That so impacted my life, my father's life, our entire outlook 
about cancer.
  My father came from a generation where a cancer diagnosis was a death 
sentence, sadly. I can remember him crying when my mother was first 
diagnosed. He was crying uncontrollably, and I didn't understand why.
  He said: no, no, no, this is going to be awful.
  Sadly, it was. Interestingly enough, my father did live to the ripe 
old age of 87\1/2\, but I was before my subcommittee--and for the 
people watching tonight, I serve on the House Appropriations Committee, 
and one of my subcommittees is the Labor, Education, and Health and 
Human Services Committee, which actually funds the National Institutes 
of Health and the National Cancer Institute.
  So for those watching--and I applaud my colleague from New Jersey 
when he was talking about all the other committees, but this committee 
actually funds research, and it is so, so critically important.
  I was actually talking to the head of the NIH at that day and went 
outside and got a call from my father's doctor. He indicated that my 
father had an esophageal cancer.
  Again, despite the fact that I was almost 50 years old and had a law 
degree, I didn't understand the gravity of that.
  Fortunately, in this great body, in the House of Representatives, I 
serve with some very fine doctors, men and women who are outstanding 
doctors. I sat down with some of them, and they told me the gravity of 
the situation.
  Sadly, my father lost that battle to esophageal cancer in 3 months. I 
went with him to the doctor, and I saw him through that process, and it 
was a sad process.

                              {time}  2030

  What we all know, this story that I have shared and that I have 
experienced has been experienced by millions of Americans. And sadly, 
the statistics show that cancer is on the rise, the incidence of cancer 
is on the rise.
  Again, my colleagues alluded to the fact that President Nixon 
declared war

[[Page 7678]]

on cancer many years ago. Well, this is a war that is ongoing, and this 
is a fight that we cannot lose. America ought to lead the way.
  In this body, we control spending. We should control the spending. 
But I think sometimes about all of the waste, fraud, and abuse, 
duplicative programs and the like where we could actually show a great 
resolve--not as Republicans, not as Democrats, but as Americans--to 
beat this hideous disease. And I do want to commend the men and women 
who are oncologists who fight this fight every day.
  In my district, the Third District of Tennessee, I have some very 
fine cities. One of those cities is Oak Ridge. And in Oak Ridge is the 
Oak Ridge National Laboratory, and that laboratory is doing 
groundbreaking cancer research. So there is a Federal component to 
this. Our great universities are fighting this great fight.
  And when I have young men and women come to me and say, ``What should 
I do when I grow up?'' I suggest medicine. It is a noble profession. It 
still is.
  I feel sorry for a lot of the folks who are doctors today because 
they are facing a lot of challenges, and I think this body ought to 
resolve to help that profession so that profession, including the 
oncologists, can continue to provide the health care necessary to fight 
cancer and other diseases.
  But as we move forward as a nation, I would just hope that we would 
stop and think about the magnitude of the effect of this horrific 
disease. Cancer one is not cancer two. There is no question about that. 
We have made tremendous strides toward several cancers, and that is 
great. We need to defeat breast cancer, but we need to defeat all 
cancers.
  I was so sad to learn that the fight against so many cancers has 
still been futile. There are so many cancers out there that the success 
or survival rate is still so low. And I have learned that, actually, as 
a Congressman.
  For those watching, I know our popularity and our numbers in this 
body sometimes are not that high, but I want to assure the American 
people that one of the things I do best and I think my colleagues do 
best is we get educated. People come from around the world, from around 
the country, constituents, oncologists, doctors, scientists, and they 
educate us, Mr. Speaker. They educate us about the progress being made 
on cancer or, sadly, in some cases, the lack of progress being made.
  So it is my commitment not only to my constituents, but to all 
Americans. And I am proud to serve in this body. This is the people's 
House. This is a wonderful, wonderful body. Our Founding Fathers gave 
us this body, and our men and women who are fighting to preserve our 
freedoms in uniform every day allow us to have the great debates that 
go on in this Chamber.
  But there must be a resolve, Mr. Speaker, to defeat cancer. We can do 
it. The cure for cancer is out there. The strides are being made. And 
as we work together as Americans, I sincerely hope that we can beat 
this hideous disease and help the men and women who are going through 
this and their families. The toll on families is horrific. I saw that 
as a young boy. I saw it as an adult man.
  So, again, I want to thank the oncologists for fighting the good 
fight. I want to thank my colleagues for allowing me to address this 
issue tonight. And it is my fervent hope and prayer that we address 
this, as Americans, and defeat this hideous disease.
  Mr. LANCE. Mr. Speaker, I yield to the distinguished gentlelady from 
Texas.
  Ms. JACKSON LEE. I thank the distinguished Congressman from New 
Jersey, Congressman Lance, for having this very special Special Order 
this evening and my friends, Congressmen Brian Higgins, Chuck 
Fleischmann, and John Carney, for sponsoring this evening's Special 
Order to recognize the 50th anniversary of the American Society of 
Clinical Oncology.
  One would wonder what seven physicians were doing some 50 years ago. 
And I am glad that they came together to recognize the vibrance and the 
vitality of their specialty and the importance of gathering together. 
They had their first real meeting with 51 physicians in November of 
1964. And I am glad that they organized because, as we watch the 
progression of research and care in the treatment of cancer, we owe a 
great deal to them. Let me tell you why: because when they founded this 
organization in 1964, cancer was perceived as largely untreatable. In 
fact, even today, we still have the remnants of that fear when you get 
that diagnosis.
  Many people call it the big C. There is trepidation and fear. And I 
would say to you that when those physicians organized in 1964, they 
understood the awesome and ominous task that they had. Only a handful 
of hard-to-tolerate and mostly ineffective therapies were even 
available. And they organized to provide for physicians with proper 
professional educational background material and the opportunity to 
come together to facilitate their own improved management of patients 
with neoplastic diseases, supporting collaborations in medical and 
research organizations, and initiating and coordinating and cooperating 
on projects of investigation.
  So I am glad to celebrate them today because, in the cancer hospitals 
across America--and I have the privilege of having in my community MD 
Anderson. And among the work that MD Anderson does, it collaborates 
with our local clinics and other hospitals because everyone knows that 
everyone cannot get into a specific cancer hospital, but they may be in 
a general hospital in which there is a cancer unit. Those oncologists 
collaborate with the oncologists in the major cancer centers of 
America.
  And I simply want to thank my colleagues here because MD Anderson has 
benefited from your understanding of the need for cancer research 
dollars.
  The NIH is an entity that we should fully fund, and I am on record to 
have that funding. $32 billion is what will put that entity in a 
position to do its work.
  I was interested to listen to the gentleman who spoke of both his 
mother and his father. And I believe when Members come to the floor and 
speak of their personal and human experiences, it draws us closer to 
our constituents and to our colleagues who have walked some of the 
similar territories.
  So as I have listened to his story, mine is different, for I heard 
that diagnosis--cancer, breast cancer. And I didn't hear it quickly, 
because when I suspected that my physician was calling to say that, all 
of a sudden, my phone didn't work, and it was quite difficult to reach 
me. I was on an airplane. I was in a meeting.
  And even in this era of new research, to hear that is a startling and 
overwhelming experience. But the good news is that oncologists have 
grown in their research, working with the NIH over these 50 years, and 
they have been able to give families and children not 100 percent, 
maybe not even 90 percent, but they have been able to cut the mortality 
rate of pediatric cancer. All of us know how heart-wrenching that is, 
how difficult it is to see a child suffer with cancer.
  There was a story in my local newspaper. I talked with one of my 
neighbors a distance away from my community who, sadly, lost their 3-
year-old. The community gave that 3-year-old a princess parade some 
months ago; and, sadly, she lost her life. It is heart-wrenching to see 
a family member suffer without relief.
  But yet, through the oncologists and their research and the work that 
we are doing here in the United States Congress to support that 
research, we have been able to impact pediatric cancer. We have been 
able to work to impact breast cancer. And I have continued to work to 
highlight the idea that cancer, in all of its forms, can ultimately be 
cured.
  I would like to cite the physicians at MD Anderson. I visited with 
one today who talked about the new attitude that they have and wanting 
to get woven into care a large sector of preventative care because they 
realize that we are living longer. And by living longer, that is a 
plus, but they are recognizing

[[Page 7679]]

that more elderly are now susceptible to cancer in their older years 
and, therefore, we need research, preventative care to be able to get 
in front of that so that the cost of saving their life can be the 
amount needed to do so, but that we can put a stop to them losing their 
life because we have engaged in preventative care.
  So I have offered amendments on something called the triple-negative 
breast cancer. It is one of the most deadly aspects of breast cancer. 
It impacts minority women, African American and Hispanics, white women 
and Asians, all women.
  I remember being in a breast cancer walk, and a young woman came up 
to me who, I guess, had been reading everything about it. She hugged me 
and said, ``I am here to walk for my mother. I saw what you are doing 
for triple-negative''--a Hispanic young woman. ``She did not make it, 
but thank you.''
  That is how families are. They are so grateful for any recognition of 
the pain that they went through, that even if they lost their loved 
one, they are so happy that maybe you are doing something to help 
others. So I am glad that we are here tonight to be able to acknowledge 
oncologists who are the very ones who would come and bring forward 
these new ideas.
  Might I just briefly say these few points: one, with respect to 
triple-negative breast cancer, between 10 and 17 percent of female 
breast cancer patients have triple-negative. It is three times more 
likely to cause death than the most common form of breast cancer. 
Seventy percent of women with metastatic triple-negative breast cancer 
do not live more than 5 years after being diagnosed. There is no 
targeted treatment available. The American Cancer Society calls this 
particular strain of breast cancer ``an aggressive subtype associated 
with lower survival rates.''
  But the good news is that in my conversations with MD Anderson, among 
the many finite research areas that they are doing, they have included 
triple-negative breast cancer. I know that those oncologists are going 
to give us a new day.
  So Congressman Lance, I thank you for honoring now 50 years of 
oncologists working to ensure that there is a cure. And I want to 
acknowledge Dr. DePinho, who is the new CEO of MD Anderson, his wife 
and the amazing research that she is doing, and all of the oncologists 
there.
  But as I close, I would like to recognize a dear friend, MD Anderson 
oncologist Dr. John Mendelsohn, who served as the CEO for any number of 
years. Many of my colleagues here in the United States Congress know 
him well. I call John a friend. He will be honored by the American 
Society of Clinical Oncology for its 50th anniversary through the 
organization's Oncology Luminary series. He is an oncologist, as we 
know. He served as president of MD Anderson through an incredibly 
productive period of nearly 15 years. The institution doubled in size 
during his tenure and aimed at higher excellence. He has an 
international reputation. And he and his collaborators in California 
produced monoclonal antibody 225, which inhibits human cancer cell 
proliferation by blocking the signal and pathways that are activated by 
the receptors for epidermal growth factor.
  There are many whom we can cite tonight, but I simply want to 
celebrate that there is a specialty called oncology that could cause 
more of us to answer that phone call when we are called and to receive 
that diagnosis in a way that we know there is hope and that family 
members will know there is hope and other family members who are now 
facing a diagnosis of cancer of their loved one will have hope.
  Oncologists have given us that hope as they continue to research, and 
I stand ready with my colleagues to provide the right kind of research 
and funding for them to continue to look to save lives.
  I thank the gentleman for yielding.
  Mr. Speaker, I want to thank my colleagues Congressmen Leonard Lance, 
Brian Higgins, Chuck Fleishmann, and John Carney for sponsoring this 
evening's special order to recognize the 50th anniversary of the 
American Society of Clinical Oncology.
  On April 9, 1964, the American Society of Clinical Oncology held its 
first organizational meeting when 7 physicians who are known as the 
founders of the organization.
  Fifty-one physicians attended the first meeting of the American 
Society of Clinical Oncology in Chicago in November of 1964.
  The ASOC supports oncologists by: providing physicians with proper 
professional educational background material and the opportunity to 
facilitate their own improved management of patients with neoplastic 
diseases; supporting collaborations with other medical and research 
organizations, national and otherwise, with a view of enhancing 
professional education in the area of diagnosis and treatment of 
patients with neoplastic diseases; and initiating, coordinating and 
cooperating in projects of investigation of human neoplastic disease.
  At the time ASCO was established in 1964, cancer was largely 
untreatable. Only a handful of hard-to-tolerate and mostly ineffective 
therapies were available.
  I want to thank and recognize the Oncologists who serve the residents 
of the City of Houston for their work and dedication in providing 
treatment and care to cancer patients.


     Congresswoman Jackson Lee's work on Women's Health and Safety

  I introduced H.R. 80, the Triple-Negative Breast Cancer Research and 
Education Act.
  The bill requires the Director of the National Institutes of Health 
(NIH) to expand, intensify, and coordinate programs for the conduct and 
support of research on triple-negative breast cancer (breast cancers 
whose cells are negative for estrogen receptors, progesterone 
receptors, and the HER2 protein on their sources).
  Directs the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS), acting 
through the Director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention 
(CDC), to develop and disseminate to the public information regarding 
triple-negative breast cancer, including information on: (1) the 
incidence and prevalence of such breast cancer among women, (2) the 
elevated risk for minority women, and (3) the availability of a range 
of treatment options.
  Requires the Secretary, acting through the Administrator of the 
Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA), to develop and 
disseminate information on triple-negative breast cancer to health care 
providers.
  Last year, I offered an amendment that was added to the House of 
Representatives' Department of Defense Authorization bill that directs 
the Department of Defense Office of Health to collaborate with the 
National Institutes of Health to provide resources to identify specific 
genetic and molecular targets and biomarkers for TNBC.


                  Triple Negative Breast Cancer (TNBC)

  Triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) is a term used to describe 
breast cancers whose cells do not have estrogen receptors and 
progesterone receptors, and do not have an excess of the ``HER2'' 
protein on their cell membrane of tumor cells.
  Between 10-17% of female breast cancer patients have the triple 
negative subtype.
  Three times more likely to cause death than the most common form of 
breast cancer, 70% of women with metastatic triple negative breast 
cancer do not live more than five years after being diagnosed.
  There is no targeted treatment available for TNBC. The American 
Cancer Society calls this particular strain of breast cancer ``an 
aggressive subtype associated with lower survival rates.''
  Triple Negative Breast Cancer (TNBC) cells are usually of a higher 
grade and size; Onset at a younger age; More aggressive; and more 
likely to metastasize
  TNBC is in fact a heterogeneous group of cancers with varying 
differences in prognosis and survival rate between various subtypes. 
This has led to a lot of confusion amongst both physicians and 
patients.
  Apart from surgery, cytotoxic chemotherapy is the only available 
treatment; targeted molecular treatments while being investigated are 
not accepted treatment.


                      Populations Affected by TNBC

  TNBC disproportionately impacts younger women, African American 
women, Hispanic/Latina women, and women with a ``BRCA1'' genetic 
mutation, which is prevalent in Jewish women.
  TNBC usually affects women under 50 years of age.
  More than 30% of all breast cancer diagnoses in African American 
women are of the triple negative variety. Black women are far more 
susceptible to this dangerous subtype than white or Hispanic women.
  Women with TNBC are more likely to have distance metastases in the 
brain and lung and more common subtypes of breast cancer.

[[Page 7680]]

  Breast cancers with specific, targeted treatment methods, such as 
hormone and gene based strains, have higher survival rates than the 
triple negative subtype, highlighting the need for a targeted 
treatment.


                     Houston is home to MD Anderson

  I would like to recognize MD Anderson Oncologist, Dr. John Mendelsohn 
who will be honored by the American Society of Clinical Oncology for 
its 50th anniversary through the organization's ``Oncology Luminaries'' 
series.
  Dr. Mendelsohn is an Oncologist at MD Anderson, which is located in 
the city of Houston Texas.
  Dr. Mendelsohn served as president of MD Anderson through an 
incredibly productive period of nearly 15 years. The institution more 
than doubled in size during his tenure, while aiming for even higher 
excellence in patient care and research.
  Dr. Mendelsohn brought to MD Anderson an international reputation for 
his research on how the binding of growth factors to receptors on the 
surface of cells regulates cell functions.
  He and his collaborators in California produced monoclonal antibody 
225, which inhibits human cancer cell proliferation by blocking the 
signaling pathways that are activated by the receptors for epidermal 
growth factor.
  His subsequent research in the laboratory and the clinic pioneered 
the universally adopted concept of anti-receptor therapy that targets 
key cell signaling pathways as a new form of cancer treatment.
  I join my colleagues in honoring and recognizing the important 
contribution to advances in cancer treatment made possible by the 
American Society of Clinical Oncology.
  Mr. LANCE. Mr. Speaker, I think the impassioned remarks of my 
distinguished colleague from Texas are an indication of her tremendous 
advocacy on behalf of this issue, not only for her constituents, not 
only for all of the residents of the great State of Texas, but, indeed, 
for the entire American people.

                              {time}  2045

  Mr. Speaker, my distinguished colleague from Texas spoke movingly 
about breast cancer. Yesterday, I spoke to a group of advocates 
dedicated to the treatment of breast cancer and working to ensure that 
women are educated about breast reconstruction surgery and care options 
following cancer treatments.
  These advocates, working out of love for their mothers, daughters, 
sisters, and wives, have championed the Breast Cancer Patient Education 
Act, which will take an educational approach to breast cancer treatment 
and allow women to have full access to their options.
  Since 1998, health care plans that offer breast cancer coverage have 
been required to provide breast reconstruction surgery and prostheses. 
Surprisingly, however, Mr. Speaker, recent studies report that up to 70 
percent of women eligible for breast reconstruction following cancer 
treatment are not fully informed of their reconstruction and care 
options by their general surgeon, and this is particularly true in 
minority communities.
  Many of these advocates have been through great challenges 
personally, and I have heard both here in Washington and in my offices 
in New Jersey the stories of fear and insecurity that come with the 
diagnosis, as the distinguished gentlelady from Texas has indicated, 
and the despair of having so many questions and too few answers. I hope 
that at an early date the Congress will pass the Breast Cancer Patient 
Education Act to work to change that.
  In another area of cancer that we have not mentioned this evening, I 
have worked with colleagues on both sides of the aisle regarding 
pancreatic cancer, and I know oncologists are fighting hard against 
this very virulent form of cancer. The survival rate for pancreatic 
cancer, Mr. Speaker, unfortunately, has not increased in 40 years, and 
the 5-year survival rate, as I understand it, is 7 percent.
  It is incumbent upon those of us here in Congress to ensure that NIH 
and those involved in cancer research at the Federal level do as good a 
job as possible regarding pancreatic cancer. I acknowledge this evening 
all of those who are working in that area, as well. The ASCO founded 50 
years ago has a great, great history over these last five decades, but 
much more needs to be done, and we will do it together.
  I conclude this evening, Mr. Speaker, on a personal note. I have a 
twin brother, and we lost our mother to breast cancer when we were 12 
years old. Now, this was almost 50 years ago. Just think of the 
tremendous progress that has been made in the last 50 years, certainly 
with the leadership of the ASCO. But more progress needs to be made. 
And to all of us who have been affected, either personally or 
familially, based upon our family, regarding the issue of cancer, we 
stand here on the floor of the House to work together in this 
bipartisan capacity--and might I suggest nonpartisan capacity--to make 
sure that as we move forward we move forward together in what I know 
will be a successful fight.
  We will win the war against cancer. We will win it working together 
in the best traditions of the American Nation. Mr. Speaker, I yield 
back the balance of my time.

                          ____________________