[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 160 (2014), Part 6]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page 7688]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




      IN RECOGNITION OF THE AMERICAN SOCIETY OF CLINICAL ONCOLOGY

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                          HON. PATRICK MEEHAN

                            of pennsylvania

                    in the house of representatives

                         Thursday, May 8, 2014

  Mr. MEEHAN. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize the American 
Society of Clinical Oncology on 50 inspiring years of innovative cancer 
research and treatment.
  Many Americans have a close connection to this terrible disease, 
whether they have survived it themselves or cared for a loved one who 
suffered through cancer. It galvanizes all of us to push for new early 
detection methods as well as new treatments.
  In 1964, the seven founding physicians who created the American 
Society of Clinical Oncology came together with a vision for a 
professional society that would educate other physicians on treatment 
methods. At that time, cancer was largely untreatable and only a 
handful of hard-to-tolerate therapies were available.
  Fifty years later the American Society of Clinical Oncology has 
almost 35,000 members worldwide. The number of drugs available to treat 
different types of cancer has steadily increased over the years thanks 
to some of these physicians. Today more than two-thirds of patients 
with cancer are alive five years after their diagnosis. This is a true 
testament to the groundbreaking research and diligent work of so many 
in this field.
  Mr. Speaker, I commend the American Society of Clinical Oncology for 
their leadership in the fight against cancer. It is my sincere hope 
that this and other research avenues will lead to new discoveries to 
better detect cancer and save lives.

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