IV 

109TH CONGRESS 

2D SESSION H. RES. 739 

Expressing the sense of the House of Representatives that the President 

should declare lung cancer a public health priority and should implement 

a comprehensive inter-agency program that will reduce lung cancer mortality by at least 50 percent by 2015. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

MARCH 28, 2006 

Mr. SHAW submitted the following resolution; which was referred to the 

Committee on Energy and Commerce 

RESOLUTION 

Expressing the sense of the House of Representatives that 

the President should declare lung cancer a public health 

priority and should implement a comprehensive interagency program that will reduce lung cancer mortality 

by at least 50 percent by 2015. 

Whereas lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer death for 

both men and women, accounting for 28 percent of all 

cancer deaths; 

Whereas lung cancer kills more people annually than breast 

cancer, prostate cancer, colon cancer, liver cancer, melanoma and kidney cancer combined; 

Whereas since the National Cancer Act of 1971, coordinated 

and comprehensive research has elevated the five year 


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survival rates for breast cancer to 87 percent, for prostate cancer to 99 percent, and for colon cancer to 64 percent, which are decreases in mortality we should seek to 

replicate; 

Whereas the survival rate for lung cancer is still only 15 percent and will require similar coordinated and comprehensive research to achieve decreases in mortality; 

Whereas 60 percent of lung cancer is now diagnosed in nonsmokers and former smokers; 

Whereas two-thirds of nonsmokers diagnosed with lung cancer are women; 

Whereas certain minority populations, such as black males, 

have disproportionately high rates of lung cancer incidence and mortality, notwithstanding their lower smoking 

rate; 

Whereas ‘‘baby boomer’’ generation Americans are now entering their sixties, the most common age for cancer development; 

Whereas tobacco addiction and exposure to other lung cancer 

carcinogens, such as Agent Orange and other herbicides 

and battlefield emissions, are serious problems among 

military personnel and war veterans; 

Whereas the National Cancer Institute’s Lung Cancer 

Progress Review Report of 2001 stated that funding for 

lung cancer research was ‘‘far below the levels characterized for other common malignancies and far out of proportion to its massive health impact’’; 

Whereas the Lung Cancer Progress Review Report identified 

as its ‘‘highest priority’’ the creation of integrated, multidisciplinary, multi-institutional research consortia orgaVerDate Aug 31 2005 22:22 Mar 29, 2006 Jkt 049200 PO 00000 Frm 00002 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6300 E:\BILLS\HR739.IH HR739

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nized around the problem of lung cancer rather than 

around specific research disciplines; and 

Whereas the Federal Government should enhance its response 

to the issues raised in the Lung Cancer Progress Review 

Report: Now, therefore, be it 

1 Resolved, That it is the sense of the House of Rep2 resentatives that the President should— 

3 (1) declare lung cancer a public health priority 

4 and immediately lead a coordinated effort to reduce 

5 the mortality rate of lung cancer by 50 percent by 

6 2015; 

7 (2) direct the Secretary of Health and Human 

8 Services to increase funding for lung cancer research 

9 and other lung cancer related programs within a co10 ordinated strategy and defined goals, including, but 

11 not limited to— 

12 (A) translational research and specialized 

13 lung cancer research centers; 

14 (B) expansion of existing multi-institu15 tional, population-based screening programs in16 corporating state-of-the-art image processing, 

17 centralized review, clinical management, and to18 bacco-cessation protocols; 

19 (C) research on disparities in lung cancer 

20 incidence and mortality rates; 


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1 (D) graduate medical education programs 

2 in thoracic medicine and cardiothoracic surgery; 

3 (E) new programs within the Food and 

4 Drug Administration to expedite the develop5 ment of chemoprevention and targeted therapies 

6 for lung cancer; 

7 (F) annual reviews by the Agency for 

8 Healthcare Research and Quality of lung cancer 

9 screening and treatment protocols; 

10 (G) the appointment of a lung cancer di11 rector within the Centers for Disease Control 

12 and Prevention with authority to improve lung 

13 cancer surveillance and screening programs; 

14 and 

15 (H) lung cancer screening demonstration 

16 programs under the direction of the Centers for 

17 Medicare & Medicaid Services; 

18 (3) direct the Secretary of Defense, in conjunc19 tion with the Secretary of Veterans Affairs, to de20 velop a broad-based lung cancer screening and dis21 ease management program among military personnel 

22 and veterans, and to develop technologically ad23 vanced diagnostic programs for the early detection 

24 of lung cancer; 


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1 (4) request the cooperation of other agencies of 

2 the Federal Government, such as the Department of 

3 Energy and the Environmental Protective Agency, 

4 with expertise in additional areas that could be uti5 lized to achieve the goal of reducing lung cancer 

6 mortality; 

7 (5) appoint a Lung Cancer Scientific and Med8 ical Advisory Committee composed of medical, sci9 entific, pharmaceutical, and patient advocacy rep10 resentatives to work with the National Lung Cancer 

11 Public Health Policy Board and to report to the 

12 President and the Congress on the progress and the 

13 obstacles in achieving the mission as described in 

14 paragraph (1); and 

15 (6) convene a National Lung Cancer Public 

16 Health Policy Board that is composed of multi-agen17 cy and multi-department representatives and at least 

18 three members of the Lung Cancer Scientific and 

19 Medical Advisory Committee, and that will oversee 

20 and coordinate all efforts to accomplish the mission 

21 of reducing lung cancer mortality rate by 50 percent 

22 by 2015. 

Æ 


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