IV

107TH CONGRESS

2D SESSION H. CON. RES. 385

Expressing the sense of the Congress that the Secretary of Health and

Human Services should conduct or support research on certain tests

to screen for ovarian cancer, and Federal health care programs and

group and individual health plans should cover the tests if demonstrated

to be effective, and for other purposes.

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

APRIL 23, 2002

Mr. ISRAEL (for himself and Ms. DELAURO) submitted the following concurrent resolution; which was referred to the Committee on Energy and

Commerce

CONCURRENT RESOLUTION

Expressing the sense of the Congress that the Secretary

of Health and Human Services should conduct or support research on certain tests to screen for ovarian cancer, and Federal health care programs and group and

individual health plans should cover the tests if demonstrated to be effective, and for other purposes.

Whereas ovarian cancer is a serious and underrecognized

threat to women’s health;

Whereas ovarian cancer, the deadliest of the gynecologic cancers, is the fourth leading cause of cancer death among

women in the United States;
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•HCON 385 IH

Whereas ovarian cancer occurs in 1 out of 57 women in the

United States;

Whereas approximately 50 percent of the women in the

United States diagnosed with ovarian cancer die as a result of the cancer within 5 years;

Whereas ovarian cancer is readily treatable when it is detected in the beginning stages before it has spread beyond the ovaries, but the vast majority of cases are not

diagnosed until the advanced stages when the cancer has

spread beyond the ovaries;

Whereas in cases where ovarian cancer is detected in the beginning stages, more than 90 percent of women survive

longer than 5 years;

Whereas only 25 percent of ovarian cancer cases in the

United States are diagnosed in the beginning stages;

Whereas in cases where ovarian cancer is diagnosed in the

advanced stages, the chance of 5-year survival is only

about 25 percent; and

Whereas ovarian cancer may be difficult to diagnose because

symptoms are easily confused with other diseases and because there is no reliable, easy-to-administer screening

tool: Now, therefore, be it

1 Resolved by the House of Representatives (the Senate

2 concurring), That it is the sense of the Congress that—

3 (1) the Secretary of Health and Human Serv4 ices, acting through the Director of the National In5 stitutes of Health—

6 (A) should conduct or support research on

7 the effectiveness of the medical screening tech-
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•HCON 385 IH

1 nique of using proteomic patterns in blood

2 serum to identify ovarian cancer, including the

3 effectiveness of using the technique in combina4 tion with other screening methods for ovarian

5 cancer; and

6 (B) should continue to conduct or support

7 other promising ovarian cancer research that

8 may lead to breakthroughs in screening tech9 niques;

10 (2) the Secretary should submit to the Congress

11 a report on the research described in paragraph

12 (1)(A), including an analysis of the effectiveness of

13 the medical screening technique for identifying ovar14 ian cancer; and

15 (3) if the research demonstrates that the med16 ical screening technique is effective for identifying

17 ovarian cancer, Federal health care programs and

18 group and individual health plans should cover the

19 technique.

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