I 
116TH CONGRESS 
2D SESSION 
H. R. 5939 
To provide for research and education with respect to triple-negative breast 
cancer, and for other purposes. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
FEBRUARY 21, 2020 
Ms. JACKSON LEE introduced the following bill; which was referred to the 
Committee on Energy and Commerce 
A BILL 
To provide for research and education with respect to triple- 
negative breast cancer, and for other purposes. 
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 ‘‘Triple-Negative Breast 
Cancer Research and Education Act of 2019’’. 
SEC. 2. FINDINGS. 
Congress finds as follows: 
(1) Breast cancer accounts for 1 in 4 cancer di-
agnoses among women in this country. 
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(2) The survival rate for breast cancer has in-
creased to 90 percent for White women and 78 per-
cent for African-American women. 
(3) African-American women are more likely to 
be diagnosed with larger tumors and more advanced 
stages of breast cancer despite a lower incidence 
rate. 
(4) Early detection for breast cancer increases 
survival rates for breast cancer, as evidenced by a 5- 
year relative survival rate of 98 percent for breast 
cancers that are discovered before the cancer 
spreads beyond the breast, compared to 23 percent 
for stage IV breast cancers. 
(5) Triple-negative breast cancer is a term used 
to describe breast cancers whose cells do not have 
estrogen receptors and progesterone receptors, and 
do not have an excess of the HER2 protein on their 
sources. 
(6) It is estimated that between 10 and 20 per-
cent of female breast cancer patients are diagnosed 
with triple-negative breast cancer, and studies indi-
cate the prevalence of triple-negative breast cancer is 
much higher. 
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(7) Triple-negative breast cancer most com-
monly affects African-American women, followed by 
Hispanic women. 
(8) Triple-negative breast cancer is a very ag-
gressive form of cancer which affects women under 
the age of 50 across all racial and socioeconomic 
backgrounds. 
(9) African-American women are 3 times more 
likely to develop triple-negative breast cancer than 
White women. 
(10) Triple-negative breast cancer tends to 
grow and spread more quickly than most other types 
of breast cancer. 
(11) Like other forms of breast cancer, triple- 
negative breast cancer is treated with surgery, radi-
ation therapy, or chemotherapy. 
(12) Early-stage detection of triple-negative 
breast cancer is the key to survival because the 
tumor cells lack certain receptors, and neither hor-
mone therapy nor drugs that target these receptors 
are effective against these cancers; therefore, early 
detection and education is vital. 
(13) Current research and available data do not 
provide adequate information on— 
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