NATIONAL CANCER ACT OF 1974

WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 30, 1974

U.S. SENATE,

SUBCOMMITTEE ON HEALTH OF THE

COMMITTEE ON LABOR AND PUBLIC WELFARE,

Washington, D.C.

The subcommittee met, pursuant to notice, at 10:13 a.m., in room 4232, Dirksen Senate Office Building, Hon. Edward M. Kennedy, chairman of the subcommittee, presiding.

Present: Senators Kennedy, Pell, Nelson, Javits, Schweiker, Dominick, Beall, and Taft.

Staff members present: LeRoy G. Goldman, professional staff member, and Jay B. Cutler, minority counsel.

Senator KENNEDY. The subcommittee will come to order.

The national cancer program has been in progress for 2 years. Much has been accomplished. But much more remains to be accomplished.

Some major advances have been recorded in 1973. The first artificial gene has been created with potential for life function. A tentative but hopeful approach to immunotherapy for acute leukemia patients has been developed. The first evidence that some form of advanced non-Hodgkin's lymphoma can be controlled for long periods. Survival of cancer patients overall has almost doubled since the early 1930's. Today, one out of three persons with cancer will be alive 5 years after treatment.

However, as important as these advances have been, an estimated 650,000 new cases will be diagnosed and more than a third of a million Americans will die in 1974.

Unless more progress can be made, cancer will continue to strike one in four of all Americans.

Before the Cancer Act became law, there were only three comprehensive cancer centers in the Nation-two in New York and one in Texas. The act permitted the creation of 15 new centers, of which nine have now been funded, and the other six will be funded by June. But this is not enough.

The Nation needs between 30 and 35 comprehensive centers. No American should be denied cancer treatment simply because of where he may live.

Two of the principal killers are lung cancer and breast cancer. The annual toll for lung cancer is about 75,000 and breast cancer takes the life of one American woman every 15 minutes.

T

I am, therefore, gratified that the cancer program is making a major effort in both of these areas.

Essentially, I believe this program is working well.

I order a copy of the bill be printed in the record at this point.

The 3-year extension which Senator Javits and I introduced does substantially increase the authorization levels for the program. It also removes the legislative limitation on the number of comprehensive centers which may be funded.

[The text of S. 2893 follows:]

93D CONGRESS 2D SESSION

S. 2893

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

JANUARY 24, 1974

Mr. KENNEDY (for himself, Mr. JAVITS, Mr. CRANSTON, Mr. EAGLETON, Mr. HATHAWAY, Mr. HUGHES, Mr. MONDALE, Mr. PELL, Mr. RANDOLPH, Mr. SCHWEIKER, Mr. STAFFORD, and Mr. WILLIAMS) introduced the following bill; which was read twice and referred to the Committee on Labor and Public Welfare

A BILL

To amend the Public Health Service Act to improve the national cancer program and to authorize appropriations for such program for the next three fiscal years.

1 Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa2 tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 3 That this Act may be cited as the "National Cancer Act 4 Amendments of 1974".

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SEC. 2. Section 402 (b) of the Public Health Service

6 Act is amended

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8

(1) by striking out "in amounts not to exceed $35,000" in paragraph (1) and inserting in lieu thereof

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"if the direct costs of such research and training do not exceed $35,000, but only"; and

(2) by striking out "in amounts exceeding $35,000"

in paragraph (2) and inserting in lieu thereof "if

the direct costs of such research and training exceed $35,000, but only".

SEC. 3. Section 407 (b) (7) of the Public Health Serv

8 ice Act is amended by striking out "where appropriate". SEC. 4. Section 408 (a) of the Public Health Service

9

10 Act is amended by striking out "fifteen".

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SEC. 5. Section 409 (b) of the Public Health Service

12 Act is amended by striking out "and" before "$40,000,000” 13 and by inserting before the period at the end thereof a comma and the following: "$50,000,000 for the fiscal year end15 ing June 30, 1975, $65,000,000 for the fiscal year ending 16 June 30, 1976, and $85,000,000 for the fiscal year ending 17 June 30, 1977".

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SEC. 6. Section 410 of the Public Health Service Act 19 is amended

(1) by striking out "fifty" in paragraph (1) and inserting in lieu thereof "one hundred";

(7) ;

(2) by striking out "and" at the end of paragraph

(3) by striking out the period at the end of para

graph (8) and inserting in lieu thereof "; and"; and

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(4) by adding after paragraph (8) the following

new paragraph:

"(9) to award grants for new construction as well

as alterations and renovations for improvement of basic

research laboratory facilities, including those related to

biohazard control, as deemed necessary for the national cancer program."

SEC. 7. Section 410C of the Public Health Service Act 9 is amended by striking out "and" before "$600,000,000” 10 and by inserting before the period at the end thereof a semi11 colon and the following: "$750,000,000 for the fiscal year 12 ending June 30, 1975; $830,000,000 for the fiscal year end13 ing June 30, 1976; and $985,000,000 for the fiscal year 14 ending June 30, 1977".