Oral Chemotherapy Can Change the Way We Treat Cancer - OP-Ed by Sen. Mark Kirk (R-IL)

Op-Ed

By Sen. Mark Kirk (R-IL)

Imagine bringing your child to the hospital every morning to watch them be stuck with a needle and sit in a hospital room for hours while chemotherapy drugs are pushed through an IV. For many Illinois families, this scenario isn't imaginary, it's a daily reality.

What if these children battling cancer could instead receive their treatment in the comfort of their own homes? No needle, just a pill. This could be the future of cancer treatment.

Self-administered oral chemotherapy drugs are becoming the standard of care for certain types of cancer, and they are a promising alternative to traditional IV chemotherapy. Unfortunately, oral chemotherapy is covered under health insurance as a prescription drug, not as a medical benefit as IV chemotherapy is, making it far too expensive for many patients.

To make sure Illinois families have access to the most convenient and effective forms of cancer treatment, I introduced the Cancer Drug Coverage Parity Act (S. 1566). This bill would make oral chemotherapy treatments nationwide more affordable by requiring insurance companies to provide equal coverage of both IV and oral treatments.

It is estimated that nearly 35 percent of all new treatments in the oncology pipeline are oral chemotherapy drugs. Oral chemotherapy is less invasive and can be taken at home, reducing travel time, hospital expenses and the risk of infection.

Recently, during a visit to the Ann and Robert H. Lurie Children's Hospital in Chicago, I learned how oral chemotherapy is helping one patient battle a rare form of leukemia. Jenny, a 17-year-old athlete who loves math and science, was diagnosed with acute promyelocytic leukemia in August. Jenny's family was told that with oral chemotherapy, Jenny has a 90 percent chance of making a full recovery -- an outcome that may not have been possible with only IV chemotherapy.

Some of the latest innovative oral therapies are making real differences in patient outcomes, helping to turn deadly diseases like acute promyelocytic leukemia into more manageable conditions. But no matter how effective the treatment, it does no good if the patients who need it can't afford it.

According to the Community Oncology Alliance, drug coverage is one of the leading challenges for cancer patients. One in six cancer patients with high out-of-pocket costs ends up abandoning treatment.

Cancer patients should be free to choose a course of treatment based on what they and their doctors believe is best for them -- and not have to break the bank to do so.

Congress should follow the lead of the 40 states that have passed "oral parity" legislation. S. My bill would help patients keep some quality of life, while also cutting down on out-of-pocket-costs that could save a late-stage cancer patient nearly $10,000.

This bipartisan legislation is supported by the medical community and patient advocacy groups.

If we make the latest treatments affordable and accessible to all cancer patients, we give Illinois families, and patients like Jenny, the best chance they have to live comfortably while taking steps to conquer this disease.

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