I 
110TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION H. R. 1553 
To amend the Public Health Service Act to advance medical research and 
treatments into pediatric cancers, ensure patients and families have ac-
cess to the current treatments and information regarding pediatric can-
cers, establish a population-based national childhood cancer database, 
and promote public awareness of pediatric cancers. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
MARCH 15, 2007 
Ms. PRYCE of Ohio (for herself, Mr. VAN HOLLEN, Mr. MCCAUL of Texas, 
Mr. SESTAK, Mr. FERGUSON, Mr. CASTLE, Mr. YARMUTH, Mr. 
REICHERT, Mr. HASTINGS of Florida, Mr. SCHIFF, Mr. MICA, Mr. 
RUPPERSBERGER, Mrs. MUSGRAVE, Mr. LARSEN of Washington, Mr. 
GRAVES, Mr. PLATTS, Mr. CULBERSON, Mr. ENGEL, Mr. HIGGINS, Mr. 
BOUCHER, Mr. MORAN of Virginia, Mr. REYES, Mr. KILDEE, Mr. 
DREIER, Mr. CHANDLER, Mr. SESSIONS, Mr. GRIJALVA, Mr. SHUSTER, 
Mr. AL GREEN of Texas, and Mr. FORBES) introduced the following bill; 
which was referred to the Committee on Energy and Commerce 
A BILL 
To amend the Public Health Service Act to advance medical 
research and treatments into pediatric cancers, ensure 
patients and families have access to the current treat-
ments and information regarding pediatric cancers, es-
tablish a population-based national childhood cancer 
database, and promote public awareness of pediatric can-
cers. 
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Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 
This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Conquer Childhood 
Cancer Act of 2007’’. 
SEC. 2. FINDINGS. 
Congress makes the following findings: 
(1) Cancer kills more children than any other 
disease. 
(2) Each year cancer kills more children be-
tween 1 and 20 years of age than asthma, diabetes, 
cystic fibrosis, and AIDS, combined. 
(3) Every year, over 12,500 young people are 
diagnosed with cancer. 
(4) Each year about 2,300 children and teen-
agers die from cancer. 
(5) One in every 330 Americans develops cancer 
before age 20. 
(6) Some forms of childhood cancer have proven 
to be so resistant that even in spite of the great re-
search strides made, most of those children die. Up 
to 75 percent of the children with cancer can now 
be cured. 
(7) Brain tumors are now the most common 
cause of cancer-related death in children and are the 
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most common solid tumor of childhood. Neuro-
blastoma is the second most common pediatric solid 
tumor (after brain tumors) and represents a major 
therapeutic challenge. More than 50 percent of chil-
dren with metastatic disease still die despite aggres-
sive, toxic chemotherapy regimens. 
(8) The causes of most childhood cancers are 
not yet known. 
(9) Childhood cancers are mostly those of the 
white blood cells (leukemias), brain, bone, the lym-
phatic system, and tumors of the muscles, kidneys, 
and nervous system. Each of these behaves dif-
ferently, but all are characterized by an uncontrolled 
proliferation of abnormal cells. 
(10) Eighty percent of the children who are di-
agnosed with cancer have disease which has already 
spread to distant sites in the body. 
(11) Ninety percent of children with a form of 
pediatric cancer are treated at one of the more than 
200 Children’s Oncology Group member institutions 
throughout the United States. 
SEC. 3. PURPOSES. 
It is the purpose of this Act to authorize appropria-
tions to— 
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(1) encourage and expand the support for bio-
medical research programs of the existing National 
Cancer Institute-designated multi-center national in-
frastructure for pediatric cancer research; 
(2) establish a population-based national child-
hood cancer database (the Children’s Cancer Re-
search Network) to evaluate incidence trends of 
childhood cancers and to enable the investigations of 
genetic epidemiology in order to identify causes to 
aid in development of prevention strategies; 
(3) provide informational services to patients 
and families affected by childhood cancer; 
(4) support the development, construction and 
operation of a comprehensive online public informa-
tion system on childhood cancers and services avail-
able to families; and 
(5) establish a fellowship program in pediatric 
cancer research to foster clinical and translational 
research career development in pediatric oncologists 
in the early stages of their career. 
SEC. 4. PEDIATRIC CANCER RESEARCH AND AWARENESS. 
Subpart 1 of part C of title IV of the Public Health 
Service Act (42 U.S.C. 285 et seq.) is amended by adding 
at the end thereof the following: 
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‘‘SEC. 417E. PEDIATRIC CANCER RESEARCH AND AWARE-
NESS. 
‘‘(a) PEDIATRIC CANCER RESEARCH.— 
‘‘(1) SPECIAL PROGRAMS OF RESEARCH EXCEL-
LENCE
IN
PEDIATRIC
CANCERS.—The Director of 
NIH, acting through the National Cancer Institute, 
shall establish special programs of research excel-
lence in the area of pediatric cancers. Such pro-
grams shall demonstrate a balanced approach to re-
search cause, prognosis, prevention, diagnosis, and 
treatment of pediatric cancers that foster translation 
of basic research findings into innovative interven-
tions applied to patients. 
‘‘(2) FELLOWSHIP OF EXCELLENCE IN PEDI-
ATRIC CANCER RESEARCH.—The Secretary shall de-
velop a grant mechanism for the establishment, in 
cooperation with the National Cancer Institute-sup-
ported pediatric cancer clinical trial groups, of Re-
search Fellowships in Pediatric Cancer to support 
adequate numbers of pediatric focused clinical and 
translational investigators thereby facilitating con-
tinuous momentum of research excellence. 
‘‘(b) NATIONAL CHILDHOOD CANCER REGISTRY.— 
The Director of NIH shall award a grant for the operation 
of a population-based national childhood cancer database, 
the Childhood Cancer Research Network (CCRN), of the 
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Children’s Oncology Group, in cooperation with the Na-
tional Cancer Institute. 
‘‘(c) PUBLIC AWARENESS OF PEDIATRIC CANCERS 
AND AVAILABLE TREATMENTS
AND RESEARCH.—The 
Secretary shall award grants to recognized childhood can-
cer professional and advocacy organizations for the expan-
sion and widespread implementation of activities to raise 
public awareness of currently available information, treat-
ment, and research with the intent to ensure access to best 
available therapies for pediatric cancers. 
‘‘(d) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.—There 
is authorized to be appropriated to carry out this section 
$30,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2008 through 2012. 
Funds appropriated under this section shall remain avail-
able until expended.’’. 
Æ 
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