II 

110TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION S. 1734 

To provide for prostate cancer imaging research and education. 

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES 

JUNE 28, 2007 

Mrs. BOXER (for herself, Mr. LAUTENBERG, and Mr. KERRY) introduced the 

following bill; which was read twice and referred to the Committee on 

Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions 

A BILL 

To provide for prostate cancer imaging research and 

education. 

1 Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa2 tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 

3 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 

4 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Prostate Research, Im5 aging, and Men’s Education Act’’ or the ‘‘PRIME Act’’. 

6 SEC. 2. FINDINGS. 

7 Congress makes the following findings: 

8 (1) Prostate cancer has reached epidemic pro9 portions, particularly among African-American men, 

10 and strikes and kills men in numbers comparable to 


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1 the number of women who lose their lives from 

2 breast cancer. 

3 (2) Life-saving breakthroughs in screening, di4 agnosis, and treatment of breast cancer resulted 

5 from the development of advanced imaging tech6 nologies led by the Federal Government. 

7 (3) Men should have accurate and affordable 

8 prostate cancer screening exams and minimally9 invasive treatment tools, similar to what women have 

10 for breast cancer. 

11 (4) While it is important for men to take ad12 vantage of current prostate cancer screening tech13 niques, a recent NCI-funded study demonstrated 

14 that the most common available methods of detect15 ing prostate cancer (PSA blood test and physical 

16 exams) are not foolproof, causing numerous false 

17 alarms and false reassurances. 

18 (5) The absence of advanced imaging tech19 nologies for prostate cancer causes the lack of accu20 rate information critical for clinical decisions, result21 ing in missed cancers and lost lives, as well as un22 necessary and costly medical procedures, with re23 lated complications. 

24 (6) With prostate imaging tools, men and their 

25 families would face less physical, psychological, fiVerDate Aug 31 2005 00:29 Jun 30, 2007 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00002 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S1734.IS S1734

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1 nancial and emotional trauma and billions of dollars 

2 could be saved in private and public health care sys3 tems. 

4 SEC. 3. RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT OF PROSTATE CAN5 CER IMAGING TECHNOLOGIES. 

6 (a) EXPANSION OF RESEARCH.—The Secretary of 

7 Health and Human Services (referred to in this Act as 

8 the ‘‘Secretary’’), acting through the Director of the Na9 tional Institutes of Health and in consultation with the 

10 Secretary of Defense, shall carry out a program to expand 

11 and intensify research to develop innovative advanced im12 aging technologies for prostate cancer detection, diagnosis, 

13 and treatment comparable to state-of-the-art mammog14 raphy technologies. 

15 (b) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.—There is 

16 authorized to be appropriated to carry out this section, 

17 $100,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2008 through 2012. 

18 SEC. 4. PUBLIC AWARENESS AND EDUCATION CAMPAIGN. 

19 (a) NATIONAL CAMPAIGN.—The Secretary shall carry 

20 out a national campaign to increase the awareness and 

21 knowledge of Americans with respect to the need for pros22 tate cancer screening and for improved detection tech23 nologies. 

24 (b) REQUIREMENTS.—The national campaign con25 ducted under subsection (a) shall include— 


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1 (1) roles for the Health Resources Services Ad2 ministration, the Office on Minority Health of the 

3 Department of Health and Human Services, the 

4 Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and the 

5 Office of Minority Health of the Centers for Disease 

6 Control and Prevention; and 

7 (2) the development and distribution of written 

8 educational materials, and the development and 

9 placing of public service announcements, that are in10 tended to encourage men to seek prostate cancer 

11 screening and to create awareness of the need for 

12 improved imaging technologies for prostate cancer 

13 detection and minimally invasive treatment. 

14 (c) RACIAL DISPARITIES.—In developing the national 

15 campaign under subsection (a), the Secretary shall recog16 nize and address the racial disparities in the incidences 

17 of prostate cancer and mortality rates with respect to such 

18 disease. 

19 (d) GRANTS.—The Secretary shall establish a pro20 gram to award grants to nonprofit private entities to en21 able such entities to test alternative outreach and edu22 cation strategies to increase the awareness and knowledge 

23 of Americans with respect to the need for prostate cancer 

24 screening and improved imaging technologies. 


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1 (e) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.—There is 

2 authorized to be appropriated to carry out this section, 

3 $10,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2008 through 2012. 

4 SEC. 5. IMPROVING PROSTATE CANCER SCREENING BLOOD 

5 TESTS. 

6 (a) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary, in coordination 

7 with the Secretary of Defense, shall carry out research to 

8 develop an improved prostate cancer screening blood test 

9 using in-vitro detection. 

10 (b) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.—There is 

11 authorized to be appropriated to carry out this section, 

12 $20,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2008 through 2012. 

13 SEC. 6. REPORTING AND COMPLIANCE. 

14 (a) REPORT AND STRATEGY.—Not later than 6 

15 months after the date of enactment of this Act, the Sec16 retary shall submit to Congress a report that details the 

17 strategy of the Secretary for implementing the require18 ments of this Act and the status of such efforts. 

19 (b) FULL COMPLIANCE.—Not later than 1 year after 

20 the date of enactment of this Act, and annually thereafter, 

21 the Secretary shall submit to Congress a report that— 

22 (1) contains assurances that the provisions of 

23 this Act are fully implemented; and 


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1 (2) certifies such compliance, or in the case of 

2 a Federal agency that has not complied, an expla3 nation as to such failure to comply. 

Æ 


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