Gynecological Resolution for Advancement of Ovarian Cancer Education

GYNECOLOGICAL RESOLUTION FOR ADVANCEMENT OF OVARIAN CANCER EDUCATION -- (House of Representatives - November 07, 2005)

BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT

GENERAL LEAVE

Mr. UPTON. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days within which to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material on H. Res. 444.

The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the gentleman from Michigan?

There was no objection.

Mr. UPTON. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of H. Res. 444, the Gynecological Resolution for Advancement of Ovarian Cancer Education, or ``GRACE's Resolution.'' I would like to thank the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Barton) and the gentleman from Georgia (Mr. Deal) of the Energy and Commerce Committee, as well as the leadership, for bringing this bill directly to the floor today. I would also like to commend the author of this legislation our friend, Mr. Hall, for his work in Congress to improve health care for all Americans. I know that this is a very personal issue that hits so close to home for him, and I fully support him in his efforts.

It is an unfortunate fact that ovarian cancer affects one out of 57 women. In 2005, it is expected that more than 22,000 women will be diagnosed with the disease and an estimated 16,000 will die from it.

In my own State of Michigan, there are an average of 515 deaths per year from ovarian cancer and an average incidence rate of 760 people per year.

Ovarian cancer is the fourth leading cause of cancer death among women in the United States. Fifty percent of women diagnosed with ovarian cancer die from it within 5 years. However, if it is detected early, the disease, in fact, is very treatable. In cases where ovarian cancer is detected before it has spread beyond the ovaries, more than 90 percent of women will survive longer than 5 years. But sadly, only 19 percent of ovarian cancer cases in the United States are diagnosed in the early stages.

Unfortunately, ovarian cancer does not share the same positive statistics as other cancers. In the most recent report put out by the American Cancer Society, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the National Cancer Institute, and the North American Association of Central Cancer Registries, there were many great developments in cancer trends. Among men, the incidence rates of all cancers were stable from 1995 through 2002. Among women, however, the rates increased by 0.3 percent annually from 1987 to 2002. However, death rates for men and women decreased 1.1 percent during that same period of time.

While death rates decreased for many cancers, they have stayed consistently high for ovarian cancer. As the National Cancer Institute statistics demonstrate, a woman's risk of dying from ovarian cancer is not less today than it was 10 years ago.

Education is the key to detecting this cancer early. Currently, 86 percent of women state that they have little to no knowledge of gynecological cancers. Forty-five percent of women are unaware of risk factors associated with developing a gynecologic cancer, and 47 percent are unable to name any symptoms of gynecological cancers. Perhaps most startling, 43 percent of women believe that they are not at risk of developing gynecological cancer. As the resolution states, ``Awareness and early recognition of ovarian cancer symptoms are currently the best way to save women's lives.''

Early detection of ovarian cancer is possible. In a national study done by Dr. Barbara Goff of ovarian cancer patients, 95 percent of women had experienced symptoms prior to their diagnosis. We need national awareness among the medical community and among women themselves that ovarian cancer is not a silent disease, the label that it was given many years ago. There are symptoms that can lead to early diagnosis when the disease is beatable and obviously then treatable.

Ovarian cancer often presents with persistent symptoms such as abdominal pressure, bloating, discomfort, nausea, indigestion, constipation, abnormal bleeding, unusual fatigue, unexplained weight loss or gain, and shortness of breath. There are also groups of women who are at higher risk of developing the disease. They include women of increasing age, women who have a personal or family history of ovarian, breast, or colon cancer, and women who have not had children.

Since these symptoms are so common, ovarian cancer is often a missed diagnosis. There are several reasons for patient-related delays in diagnosis, including a lack of pain, fear, and ignorance regarding cancer symptoms. Additionally, doctors often attribute the symptoms to stress, gastritis, irritable bowel syndrome, or depression. Thirty percent of women are treated first for another condition before they find out that they have ovarian cancer.

One of the reasons the survival rate for ovarian cancer remains low is that, so far, there is not a reliable test to detect the disease. Researchers have determined that the disease is related to the BRCA gene, and that women who inherit the BRCA 1 mutated gene have a 20 to 40 percent chance of developing ovarian cancer.

Family members diagnosed with ovarian cancer can get a blood test to determine if they have the BRCA-mutated gene.

Researchers around the country, as well as the National Cancer Institute, have been working towards a solution; but progress is slow. More ovarian cancer research is needed to develop early detection tools, prevention methods, enhanced therapies, and obviously a cure.

There are still large gaps in knowledge on key scientific aspects of the disease. For example, we still do not know if all ovarian cancers are the same disease. There is still no reliable and easy-to-administer screening test for ovarian cancer like the pap smear for cervical cancer or the mammogram for breast cancer. Healthy women have no alternative for screening but to be aware of the ovarian cancer symptoms.

Research on ovarian cancer is underfunded relative to the high mortality rate. In 2002, the National Cancer Institute allocated only about one-fifth as much money to ovarian cancer research, $93 million, as to breast cancer, $522 million, and one-third as much to prostate cancer, $278 million, two diseases whose mortality rates are proportionately lower than ovarian cancer.

I am heartened to see that we are battling these other diseases and winning the war over them. We need still to pay a lot of attention to the needs of ovarian cancer patients.

Once again, I would like to commend my friend from Texas (Mr. Hall) and all the other cosponsors for bringing this resolution to the floor today increasing our awareness of this deadly disease. I would encourage my colleagues to adopt this resolution.

Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

http://thomas.loc.gov