Every year, more than 56,000 Americans die from colorectal cancer, and another 130,000 are diagnosed with the disease. Today I want to talk about our common fight against this quiet killer, and what we can do as a nation to save more lives.
Many people are uncomfortable talking about cancer, especially colorectal cancer.
That's why so many Americans, tens of thousands of them, led by Katie Couric, have come to Washington this weekend to speak out and rally against colorectal cancer. For eight years now, the Vice President and I have made the fight against cancer one of our top priorities, nearly doubling funding for cancer research and treatment. We've also accelerated the approval of cancer drugs, while maintaining the highest standards of safety. We've strengthened Medicare to make prevention, screening and clinical trials more available and more affordable. During Breast Cancer Awareness Month, the Senate voted to fund our proposal to provide health coverage to uninsured women with breast and cervical cancer.