A bill to amend the Public Health Service Act to advance medical research and treatments into pediatric cancers, ensure patients and families have access to the current treatments and information regarding pediatric cancers, establish a population-based national childhood cancer database, and promote public awareness of pediatric cancers.

Summary: Conquer Childhood Cancer Act of 2006 - Amends the Public Health Service Act to require the Director of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), acting through the National Cancer Institute, to establish special programs of research excellence in the area of pediatric cancers.

Requires the Secretary of Health and Human Services to develop a grant mechanism for the establishment of Research Fellowships in Pediatric Cancer to support adequate numbers of pediatric focused clinical and translational investigators.

Requires the Director to award a grant for the operation of a population-based national childhood cancer database, the Childhood Cancer Research Network.

Requires the Secretary to award grants to recognized childhood cancer professional and advocacy organizations to raise public awareness of currently available information, treatment, and research with intent to ensure access to best available therapies for pediatric cancers.

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Conquer Childhood Cancer Act of 
2006''.

SEC. 2. FINDINGS.

    Congress makes the following findings:
            (1) Cancer kills more children than any other disease.
            (2) Each year cancer kills more children between 1 and 20 
        years of age than asthma, diabetes, cystic fibrosis, and AIDS, 
        combined.
            (3) Every year, over 12,500 young people are diagnosed with 
        cancer.
            (4) Each year about 2,300 children and teenagers die from 
        cancer.
            (5) One in every 330 Americans develops cancer before age 
        20.
            (6) Some forms of childhood cancer have proven to be so 
        resistant that even in spite of the great research strides 
        made, most of those children die. Up to 75 percent of the 
        children with cancer can now be cured.
            (7) The causes of most childhood cancers are not yet known.
            (8) Childhood cancers are mostly those of the white blood 
        cells (leukemias), brain, bone, the lymphatic system, and 
        tumors of the muscles, kidneys, and nervous system. Each of 
        these behaves differently, but all are characterized by an 
        uncontrolled proliferation of abnormal cells.
            (9) Eighty percent of the children who are diagnosed with 
        cancer have disease which has already spread to distant sites 
        in the body.
            (10) Ninety percent of children with a form of pediatric 
        cancer are treated at one of the more than 200 Children's 
        Oncology Group member institutions throughout the United 
        States.

SEC. 3. PURPOSES.

    It is the purpose of this Act to authorize appropriations to--
            (1) encourage and expand the support for biomedical 
        research programs of the existing National Cancer Institute-
        designated multi-center national infrastructure for pediatric 
        cancer research;
            (2) establish a population-based national childhood cancer 
        database (the Children's Cancer Research Network) to evaluate 
        incidence trends of childhood cancers and to enable the 
        investigations of genetic epidemiology in order to identify 
        causes to aid in development of prevention strategies;
            (3) provide informational services to patients and families 
        affected by childhood cancer;
            (4) support the development, construction and operation of 
        a comprehensive online public information system on childhood 
        cancers and services available to families; and
            (5) establish a fellowship program in pediatric cancer 
        research to foster clinical and translational research career 
        development in pediatric oncologists in the early stages of 
        their career.

SEC. 4. PEDIATRIC CANCER RESEARCH AND AWARENESS.

    Subpart 1 of part C of title IV of the Public Health Service Act 
(42 U.S.C. 285 et seq.) is amended by adding at the end thereof the 
following:

``SEC. 417E. PEDIATRIC CANCER RESEARCH AND AWARENESS.

    ``(a) Pediatric Cancer Research.--
            ``(1) Special programs of research excellence in pediatric 
        cancers.--The Director of NIH, acting through the National 
        Cancer Institute, shall establish special programs of research 
        excellence in the area of pediatric cancers. Such programs 
        shall demonstrate a balanced approach to research cause, 
        prognosis, prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of pediatric 
        cancers that foster translation of basic research findings into 
        innovative interventions applied to patients.
            ``(2) Fellowship of excellence in pediatric cancer 
        research.--The Secretary shall develop a grant mechanism for 
        the establishment, in cooperation with the National Cancer 
        Institute-supported pediatric cancer clinical trial groups, of 
        Research Fellowships in Pediatric Cancer to support adequate 
        numbers of pediatric focused clinical and translational 
        investigators thereby facilitating continuous momentum of 
        research excellence.
    ``(b) National Childhood Cancer Registry.--The Director of NIH 
shall award a grant for the operation of a population-based national 
childhood cancer database, the Childhood Cancer Research Network 
(CCRN), of the Children's Oncology Group, in cooperation with the 
National Cancer Institute.
    ``(c) Public Awareness of Pediatric Cancers and Available 
Treatments and Research.--The Secretary shall award a grants to 
recognized childhood cancer professional and advocacy organizations for 
the expansion and widespread implementation of activities to raise 
public awareness of currently available information, treatment, and 
research with the intent to ensure access to best available therapies 
for pediatric cancers.
    ``(d) Authorization of Appropriations.--There are authorized to be 
appropriated to carry out this section, $20,000,000 for each of fiscal 
years 2007 through 2011. Funds appropriated under this section shall 
remain available until expended.''.