109th Congress

Supporting the Goal of Eliminating Suffering and Death Due to Cancer by the Year 2015

H. Con. Res. 210

Background

In early 2003, Dr. Andrew von Eschenbach, Director of the National Cancer Institute (NCI), issued a “challenge goal” to eliminate the suffering and death due to cancer by 2015. The goal is not necessarily to cure cancer itself, but to prevent, detect, and control the disease, making it a manageable, chronic condition. To reach this goal, NCI’s strategy is to facilitate a seamless process for integrating discovery activities, accelerating the development of new interventions, and ensuring the delivery of new evidence-based interventions for all cancers.

Representative E. Clay Shaw, Jr. (R-FL) introduced H. Con. Res. 210 as a cofounder of the bipartisan 2015 Caucus, which he formed in 2003 with Representative Collin Peterson (D-MN) as a forum for House Members who have cancer or are cancer survivors.

Provisions of the Legislation/Impact on NIH

H. Con. Res. 210 contains a number of statistics on cancer, including the number of people who are diagnosed with and die from the disease, as well as the cost to society. It states that advances in cancer research have led to the decline in cancer deaths. Through this resolution, the House, with concurrence of the Senate, would state its support for the goal of eliminating suffering and death due to cancer by 2015.

Status and Outlook

H. Con. Res. 210 was introduced by Representative Shaw on July 18, 2005, and was referred to the House Committee on Energy and Commerce. No further action has occurred on this legislation.