[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 160 (2014), Part 7]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page 9153]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




    AMERICAN SOCIETY OF CLINICAL ONCOLOGY ON THEIR 50TH ANNIVERSARY

                                 ______
                                 

                        HON. ALLYSON Y. SCHWARTZ

                            of pennsylvania

                    in the house of representatives

                        Wednesday, May 28, 2014

  Ms. SCHWARTZ. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor the work of the 
American Society of Clinical Oncology on the occasion of its 
anniversary this May, marking 50 years of progress in cancer treatment 
and ensuring access to high quality cancer care in the United States. 
When ASCO was founded in 1964, cancer was largely untreatable and there 
were only a handful of therapies available, most of which were 
ineffective and difficult for patients to tolerate. Less than one-half 
of patients with cancer lived five years after diagnosis. But today, 
more than two-thirds of patients with cancer are alive five years 
following their diagnosis, and more than 170 drugs are available for 
treatment.
  While ASCO has many achievements to celebrate this year, we cannot 
afford to rest in the fight against cancer. Workforce shortages, 
payment cuts and consolidation of oncology practices are causing 
potential access issues for cancer care. With more than 1.6 million 
Americans, including nearly 80,000 Pennsylvanians, diagnosed with 
cancer each year, Congress must ensure that organizations like ASCO 
have access to the resources they need to continue this groundbreaking 
research. In Pennsylvania alone, the National Institutes for Health 
(NIH) funds more than 3,000 projects. We must continue to work together 
to ensure there is access to high quality cancer care in America.
  Mr. Speaker, I ask that my colleagues join me in celebrating the 50th 
anniversary of the American Society of Clinical Oncology and all of its 
contributions to the fight against cancer.

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