I will ask him to make whatever comments he would like. SENATOR DOMINICK. I am just delighted we are holding these hearings. I look forward to listening to the Secretary's testimony. We in Colorado already have an application in for a National Center for Cancer, and I think we are in a very favorable position as opposed to most of them who are apparently looking for 75 percent Federal support. We have about 65 percent of local already, which leaves us, I think, at a very favorable spot. We also have an integrated program with our medical school and all the other hospitals and institutions in the area, cooperating in one management under a very skilled cancer expert. I am looking forward with anticipation to the selection of this as a National Cancer Center. I think it is worthwhile trying to determine as we go along how many of these are going to be fruitful in terms of having enough expertise to go forward with research on the causes and solutions for the problems which we have. Certainly, this is not any kind of an easy disease. There is no one solution because there are so many varieties of cancer. As I think I said to the Chairman before, it was my anticipation that by keeping it within the interrelated disciplines that we have in the medical field, that some fellow with a research grant out of some place we never heard of would suddenly come up with a real advance. At about that time, they discovered the viral materials in Canada out of injections into a goat. This proved, I think, the necessity for interrelationship between all the various types of medical research which is going on. I look forward with anticipation to hearing from the Secretary, who has a firm grip on this particular piece of research which is so vital to the health of the American citizens. SENATOR KENNEDY. Thank you very much, Senator Dominick. We have been joined by the ranking minority member of the Health Subcommittee, Senator Schweiker. He is a co-sponsor of the legislation, and he has been enormously interested in its development. We want to welcome him this morning. And we are interested in any comments he would like to make at this time. Senator SCHWEIKER. Thank you very much, Mr. Chairman. I just want to say I am delighted we have the opportunity to hold hearings on this very important topic. I think they will be constructive. I know the administration has a strong commitment to the cancer effort. I am looking forward to hearing the Secretary's statement as well as this committee's consideration of our national interest in this area, which I regard as vital. I look forward for the hearings to unfold. SENATOR KENNEDY. Senator Javits has a statement to include. Senator JAVITS. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. The bill I introduced with Senator Kennedy will continue the advances made against the dread killer disease, cancer. This national commitment to the conquest of cancer grows out of legislation Senator Kennedy and I introduced in 1971, which laid the groundwork for the enactment into law of the National Cancer Act of 1971, Public Law 92-218. This measure we introduced January 24, 1974, will assure that cancer research continues within the NIH and maintains its separate budget at an increased level of $2,765 million over the next 3 years to insure the necessary top priority to fulfill our national commitment to launch a meaningful attack on cancer. I believe that we must continue at an increased rate an intensive and sustained program of cancer research on all fronts. We must also seize hold of our scientific insights and advances and exploit them to their fullest potential. We can most effectively achieve this desired goal by moving forward with the establishment of cancer research and demonstration centers of excellence. Unfortunately, under existing law these centers for clinical research, training, and demonstration of advanced diagnostic and treatment methods relating to cancer are limited to 15. Therefore, the bill I introduced with Senator Kennedy would eliminate this limitation-action which would be in accordance with the recommendation of the National Cancer Advisory Board and the President's Cancer Panel. Other proposed changes-including the increased funding authorization levels required by our "National Cancer Act Amendments of 1973" also represent the views of the National Cancer Advisory Board, concurred in by the President's Cancer Panel, and are a matter of public record. I would urge the administration to adopt them as their official recommendation. I would urge the President to continue his commitment to the conquest of cancer, evidenced by his signing into law the National Cancer Act of 1971 and by his 1971 state of the Union message where he said: "The same kind of concentrated effort that split the atom and took man to the moon should be turned toward conquering this dread disease." Cancer kills someone in the United States every 12 minutes. In 1974, 1,310,000 Americans will be cancer patients and 350,000 Americans will die of cancer. The annual cost of cancer to the economy is about $18 billion, which cannot measure the incalculable suffering of victims, their friends and families. Although the improvements in cancer cure rates are impressive and gratifying—in the early 1900's few cancer patients had any hope of cure, the 5-year survival rate today is about 1 in 3 which means that roughly 55,000 patients are now being saved each year—the vastly complex nature of cancer requires a coordinated biomedical research effort of unprecedented dimensions. Many methodologies and approaches must be used to solve problems and gain significant new knowledge. We must speed the translation of research results into widespread applications, and demonstrate to both the medical community and general public the applications of the latest advances in cancer prevention and control. Senator KENNEDY. Thank you very much. Mr. Weinberger. STATEMENT OF HON. CASPAR W. WEINBERGER, SECRETARY OF HEALTH, EDUCATION, AND WELFARE; ACCOMPANIED BY STEPHEN KURZMAN, ASSISTANT SECRETARY FOR LEGISLATION, DHEW; CHARLES C. EDWARDS, M.D., ASSISTANT SECRETARY FOR HEALTH, DHEW; ROBERT S. STONE, M.D., DIRECTOR, NATIONAL INSTITUTES OF HEALTH, DHEW; AND FRANK J. RAUSCHER, PH. D., DIRECTOR, NATIONAL CANCER INSTITUTE, NATIONAL INSTITUTES OF HEALTH, DHEW MR. WEINBERGER. Thank you, Mr. Chairman and members of the Committee. We certainly appreciate your generous comments, Mr. Chairman, and we are, of course, pleased to be here to testify in support of the extension of the programs authorized by the National Cancer Act of 1971, the authorizations for which expire on June 30 of this year. We are glad that the hearings are being held this early in the year so that there will be no interregnum in the program. I would like to make a few introductory remarks. Before I do that, I received a letter from the President late last night, and I would like to put that in the record and read it if I might. It is from the President, addressed to me. [The President's letter follows:] 33-088 O-74-2 THE WHITE HOUSE WASHINGTON ་ January 29, 1974 Dear Cap: It has come to my attention that you will appear tomorrow.at Senate hearings called to consider the extension of the National Cancer Act of 1971 when it expires on June 30. I want you to know that I strongly support an extension of this Act with whatever improvements might be made in consultation between the Executive Branch and the Congress. I continue to have strong and continuing interest in this program. I remain just as committed to the attack on cancer as I was when I signed the original legislation on December 23, 1971. Our joint efforts with the Congress in this area have provided an excellentexample of the ability of the Executive and Legislative Branches to work together in dealing with a major problem. I have followed progress on the attack on cancer carefully. In addition, I have met with Benno Schmidt and other members of the President's Cancer Panel and have reviewed their report and the report of the National Cancer Advisory Board with great interest. It is my feeling that considerable progress has been made `in the attack on cancer in recent years and that there is much hope for additional knowledge that can be developed in the future. That is why I plan to ask for an additional $100 million above last year's request of $500 million for the expanded attack on cancer in the budget that I will be submitting to the Congress next Monday. I realize that this will result in spending over $415 million more for this effort next fiscal year than was available the year I took office, but I think the dual goals of an expanded research effort to find the causes of cancer along with more intensive demonstration and education programs to help prevent and control cancer.. warrant this support. |