With strong leadership from the First Lady, we've worked hard over the past seven years to increase free and low-cost cancer screenings, and to help women catch these diseases in time. We've expanded the National Breast and Cervical Cancer Early Detection Program to serve hundreds of thousands of women a year in all 50 states. And Vice President Gore has led us to make a dramatic increase in our commitment to cancer research and treatment. But, still, it's true that every year, thousands of women are told they have cancer and must cope without insurance. This is especially troubling, given the stunning progress scientists are making in the fight against cancer.
Researchers now can identify genes that predict several kinds of cancers.
They're experimenting with therapies that will shut down defective genes so that they can never multiply and grow. New drugs and new combinations of drugs will bring hope to those whose cancer has spread, or who suffer from the side effects of chemotherapy. These breakthroughs will make a big difference for some of our most prevalent cancers, like breast cancer, which strikes one in eight American women over a lifetime. At a time when we know more about cancer than ever and can fight it better than ever, we must not leave women to face cancer alone. That's why today I'm announcing a proposal to help states eliminate the barriers low-income women face to getting treatment for breast or cervical cancer.