Cancer Control Month Provides Opportunity Increase Fight Against Cancer
Unfortunately it seems every family has a story to tell about how cancer has impacted their lives. Whether it's a child with leukemia or an adult with lung cancer, the pain is the same and the lessons are hard. We only hope that through these personal tragedies will come an increased focus on prevention, screening, treatment and research. The facts are clear -- 3,500 Americans are diagnosed with cancer each day and more than 45,000 will die from the disease this month. There are dozens of reasons why, some preventable, some not. To recognize April as Cancer Control Month, I urge all Mainers to learn about cancers that are preventable, take advantage of covered screenings when possible and seek treatment if diagnosed.
We do have the power to prevent certain forms of cancer by reducing exposure to certain factors, such as alcohol, tobacco and excessive sun time and increasing physical activity and paying closer attention to dietary intake. According to the American Cancer Society, one third of the 556,500 cancer deaths expected to occur in 2003 will be related to nutrition, physical activity, obesity and other lifestyle factors and could be prevented. Regular screenings can also detect cancer at earlier, less dangerous stages, especially in the cases of skin, breast, colon, rectum, cervix, prostate, testis and oral cavity cancer. Cancers that can be detected by screening account for about half of all new cancer cases, according to the American Cancer Society.
These are some empowering thoughts. Many of us may feel helpless when it comes to cancer, but it is important to reiterate that we have potent weapons in our war against cancer. We have a variety of resources at our fingertips - ranging from our public libraries to our local cancer societies to our physicians and cancer patients themselves.
As Maine's U.S. Senator, I will continue to fight to increase funding for cancer research even during a tight budget situation. I have been a strong leader in working to double the funding for the National Institutes of Health over the past five fiscal years. As we all know, the NIH is the nation's premier research institution which has made great strides over the years in the area of cancer research-ranging from innovative drugs to advanced forms of gene therapy.
I am also leading the effort in Congress to increase funding for the Department of Defense's (DOD) Peer-Reviewed Breast Cancer Research Program (by $25 million) to $175 million. One out of every eight women will develop breast cancer in her lifetime. That is why we need credible research programs to support the NIH. In the span of only 10 years, the DOD Peer-Reviewed Breast Cancer Research Program has established itself as a model for medical research, respected throughout the cancer community for its innovative and accountable approach. The ground breaking research performed through the program has the potential to benefit all cancer victims, as well as other disease patients. Even more importantly, the program reports the results of this research to the American people at a yearly public meeting called the "Era of Hope." These annual meetings are crucial to increasing public knowledge concerning advances in breast cancer research. They provide a forum for the public to ask questions regarding how funding is used, what knowledge was gained and what future research will focus on.
As a member of the Senate Finance Committee, I will join with Senator Jay Rockefeller (D-WV) in introducing legislation to ensure patients have access to quality cancer care by updating Medicare to cover innovative oral anti-cancer drugs. When research first brought treatments for cancer such as radiation and chemotherapy, these therapies were covered under Medicare Part B because they were administered in a hospital or outpatient setting. But oral drugs administered only in oral form are currently not covered even though some of the most promising advances in cancer treatment are offered only in an oral form. This is because they are not administered in a hospital or outpatient setting. Given that these drugs are more targeted and less toxic, these drugs are also more cost effective, and it is time we require Medicare to cover these drugs.
Clearly federal funding and regulation won't answer all of our problems, but the federal role in cancer research and coverage has a proven record of success in advancing our research and understanding of cancer; helping identify treatments to reduce deaths; and, moving closer to finding a cure for cancer. With 7,300 new cases of cancer in Maine expected in 2003, we must not rest on our laurels. Every American must take a proactive approach, learning about cancer and scheduling regular screening. Likewise we can strongly support investments in cancer research. Working together, we can reduce the number of Mainers who get cancer that could be prevented and improve treatments for those who are suffering.