This article is from
Upfront
May 1999
Upfront
U.S. Senators Call for Research to Protect Millions of Americans from Prostate Cancer
National Prostate Cancer Coalition Commends Senators for Making Prostate Cancer a National Health Priority
May 12, 1999. The US Senate has taken a major step toward recognizing the impact of prostate cancer on the lives of millions of American men and their families.
On May 4, the Senate introduced Resolution 92, which states that "finding treatment breakthroughs and a cure for prostate cancer should be made a national health priority." The resolution is sponsored by Senators Barbara Boxer (D-CA), John Ashcroft (R-MO), Paul Coverdell (R-GA), Jesse Helms (R-NC), Jim Jeffords (R-VT), Frank Lautenberg (D-NJ), Connie Mack (R-FL), Harry Reid (D-NV), and Charles Schumer (D-NY).
Jay Hedlund, President of the National Prostate Cancer Coalition (NPCC), welcomed the resolution. Under his leadership NPCC is making stronger demands. Where NPCC leaders used to talk about making prostate cancer a manageable disease, Hedlund is forthright about calling for a cure.
"With so many lives at stake, finding a cure for prostate cancer must be a national priority," Hedlund said last week. "We must dedicate ourselves, working with the Senate sponsors of this bill and the entire Senate, to protect men and their families from the devastation brought on by prostate cancer."
"Senate Resolution 92 demonstrates a strong, bipartisan commitment to protecting men and their families from the devastation of prostate cancer," Hedlund added. "This diverse group of Senate sponsors are real leaders in a shared effort to fight this deadly disease. The NPCC, as well as prostate cancer survivors, family members and activists from around the country, commend these Senators for their leadership."
Prostate cancer is the most diagnosed non-skin cancer in America, and more than 37,000 men will die from this disease in the U.S. in 1999. While prostate cancer accounts for 15 percent of all cancer diagnoses, only 5 per cent of federal cancer dollars are directed toward prostate cancer research.
"Given the scope and impact of this disease," Hedlund said, "prostate cancer research is seriously underfunded. Simply put, researchers must have the tools and resources they need if our nation is to mount a real and vigorous effort to fight prostate cancer."
Senate Resolution 92 calls for significant increases in funding for prostate cancer research -- "commensurate with the impact of the disease" --at the National Institutes of Health and at the Department of Defense Prostate Cancer Research Program.
DOD, since 1997, has spent money on innovative, targeted prostate cancer research as well as research on breast cancer. Research run by the National Institutes of Health and conducted at the National Cancer Institute -- including clinical trials and work on anti-angiogenesis drugs-- holds promise, too, for progress toward better prevention, treatments, and ultimately a cure. Jim Fulks and J. Strax
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