I 
110TH CONGRESS 
2D SESSION 
H. R. 7045 
To amend the Public Health Service Act to provide for a Pancreatic Cancer 
Initiative, and for other purposes. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
SEPTEMBER 24, 2008 
Ms. ESHOO (for herself and Ms. GINNY BROWN-WAITE of Florida) introduced 
the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Energy and 
Commerce 
A BILL 
To amend the Public Health Service Act to provide for 
a Pancreatic Cancer Initiative, 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; FINDINGS. 
(a) SHORT TITLE.—This Act may be cited as the 
‘‘National Plan to Advance Pancreatic Cancer Act of 
2008’’. 
(b) FINDINGS.—The Congress finds the following: 
(1) Nearly 38,000 Americans will be diagnosed 
with pancreatic cancer this year, and over 34,000 
will die from the disease. The incidence among Afri-
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can-Americans is 40 to 50 percent higher than other 
ethnic groups. 
(2) Pancreatic cancer is one of the few cancers 
for which survival has not improved substantially 
over the past 30 years. As a result, in 2003, pan-
creatic cancer surpassed prostate cancer as the 4th 
leading cause of cancer-related death in the United 
States. 
(3) Seventy-five percent of pancreatic cancer 
patients die within the first 12 months of the diag-
nosis. The 5-year survival rate is 5 percent. 
(4) Scientific understanding of pancreatic can-
cer—its etiology, pathogenesis, detection, and treat-
ment—lags far behind that of most other forms of 
cancer. In fact, pancreatic cancer research is where 
breast cancer research was in the 1930s—little un-
derstanding of the causes, no early detection, few ef-
fective treatments, and single-digit survival rates. 
(5) In 2001, the National Cancer Institute de-
veloped ‘‘Pancreatic Cancer: An Agenda for Action’’. 
Seven years later, only 5 of the report’s 39 rec-
ommendations have been implemented because of a 
lack of funding, focus, and commitment. In the 
meantime, pancreatic cancer death rates have con-
tinued to increase. 
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(6) Pancreatic cancer research constitutes less 
than 2 percent of the National Cancer Institute’s 
Federal research funding, a figure far too low given 
the severity of the disease, its mortality rate, and 
how little is known about how to arrest the disease. 
(7) Of the more than 5,000 research grants 
awarded annually by the Nations Cancer Institute in 
2006, only 134 (approximately 3 percent) were cat-
egorized by the Institute as at least 50 percent rel-
evant to pancreatic cancer research. 
(8) The future supply of scientists entering this 
field of study is in serious jeopardy. There are cur-
rently fewer than 58 principal investigators who 
have multiple grants or a primary career focus on 
pancreatic cancer. Further, in the last 3 years, the 
National Cancer Institute has awarded only 5 grants 
for training and supporting young principal inves-
tigators in pancreatic cancer. 
(9) In 2007, the Scientific Advisory Board of 
the Pancreatic Cancer Action Network reviewed the 
current state of the science and the Federal Govern-
ment’s efforts on pancreatic cancer research and 
prepared ‘‘The National Plan to Advance Pancreatic 
Cancer Research’’ to identify the highest research 
priorities, scientific infrastructure needs, and work-
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force training requirements that are needed to pro-
vide the answers that pancreatic cancer patients and 
their families and loved ones so desperately need. 
SEC. 2. PANCREATIC CANCER INITIATIVE. 
Part B of title III of the Public Health Service Act 
(42 U.S.C. 243 et seq.) is amended by adding at the end 
the following: 
‘‘SEC. 320B. PANCREATIC CANCER INITIATIVE. 
‘‘(a) PANCREATIC CANCER INITIATIVE.— 
‘‘(1) ESTABLISHMENT.—The Secretary shall es-
tablish and implement a Pancreatic Cancer Initiative 
to assist in coordinating activities to address the 
high mortality rate associated with pancreatic can-
cer. Such Initiative shall focus on— 
‘‘(A) advancing research on the causes, di-
agnosis, and treatment of pancreatic cancer 
with the goal of increasing the 5-year survival 
rate; 
‘‘(B) promoting a cadre of new investiga-
tors in the field of pancreatic cancer research; 
and 
‘‘(C) increasing physician and public 
awareness of pancreatic cancer. 
‘‘(2) CONSULTATION.—In carrying out this sub-
section, the Secretary shall consult with the Director 
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of the National Institutes of Health, the Director of 
the National Cancer Institute, the Director of the 
Centers of Disease Control and Prevention, and the 
Interdisciplinary Pancreatic Cancer Coordinating 
Committee established under subsection (b). 
‘‘(b) INTERDISCIPLINARY PANCREATIC CANCER CO-
ORDINATING COMMITTEE.— 
‘‘(1) ESTABLISHMENT.—Not later than 60 days 
after the date of the enactment of this section, the 
Secretary, in consultation with the Director of the 
National Institutes of Health, shall establish a com-
mittee to be known as the Interdisciplinary Pan-
creatic Cancer Coordinating Committee (in this sub-
section referred to as the ‘Committee’). 
‘‘(2) MEMBERSHIP.— 
‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—The members of the 
Committee shall be appointed by the Secretary, 
in consultation with the Director of the Na-
tional Institutes of Health, and shall consist of 
13 individuals as follows: 
‘‘(i) 9 experts in pancreatic cancer re-
search, who are each a full professor at a 
major academic research institution and 
who have each received multiple grants 
from the National Cancer Institute or 
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other entities of the National Institutes of 
Health with a primary focus on pancreatic 
cancer research. 
‘‘(ii) 2 young principal investigators in 
pancreatic cancer, who are each an assist-
ant-level professor in a major academic re-
search institution and who have each re-
ceived at least one grant from the National 
Cancer Institute or another entity of the 
National Institutes of Health with a pri-
mary focus in pancreatic cancer research. 
‘‘(iii) 1 pancreatic cancer advocate. 
‘‘(iv) The Director of the National 
Cancer Institute (or the Director’s des-
ignee). 
‘‘(B) CHAIR.—The Secretary shall des-
ignate the Chair of the Committee from among 
its members. 
‘‘(C) PUBLICATION OF NAMES.—Not later 
than 30 days after the establishment of the 
Committee, the Secretary shall publish the 
names of the Chair and members of the Com-
mittee on the website of the Department of 
Health and Human Services. 
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‘‘(D) TERMS.—The members of the Com-
mittee shall each be appointed for a 3-year term 
and, at the end of each such term, may be re-
appointed. 
‘‘(E) VACANCIES.—A vacancy on the Com-
mittee shall be filled by the Secretary in the 
same manner in which the original appointment 
was made. 
‘‘(3) 
RESPONSIBILITIES.—The 
Committee 
shall— 
‘‘(A) provide advice on overall research ob-
jectives and benchmarks for pancreatic cancer 
research; 
‘‘(B) develop and annually update a stra-
tegic plan in accordance with paragraph (4) for 
the conduct and support of pancreatic cancer 
research awareness during the upcoming year; 
and 
‘‘(C) conduct evaluations and make rec-
ommendations to the Secretary, the Director of 
the National Institutes of Health, and the Di-
rector of the National Cancer Institute in ac-
cordance with paragraph (5) regarding the 
prioritization and award of National Institutes 
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of Health research grants relating to pancreatic 
cancer. 
‘‘(4) STRATEGIC PLAN.— 
‘‘(A) 
DEVELOPMENT.—The 
Committee 
shall develop and annually update a strategic 
plan for the conduct and support of pancreatic 
cancer research and awareness during the up-
coming fiscal year. 
‘‘(B) 
SUBMISSION.—The 
Committee 
shall— 
‘‘(i) submit to the Secretary each stra-
tegic plan developed under subparagraph 
(A) for the upcoming fiscal year; and 
‘‘(ii) publish each such plan on the 
website of the Department of Health and 
Human Services within 30 days after the 
earlier of— 
‘‘(I) the date of submission of the 
plan to the Secretary under clause (i); 
or 
‘‘(II) June 1. 
‘‘(C) CONTENTS.—Each strategic plan de-
veloped under subparagraph (A) shall include— 
‘‘(i) recommended budgetary require-
ments for pancreatic cancer research, in-
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cluding research grants awarded through 
the National Cancer Institute, funding for 
Specialized Programs of Research Excel-
lence (SPORE) that are focused on pan-
creatic cancer, and funding for the portion 
of the cancer research incubator pilot 
project established by section 409J(a) that 
is focused on pancreatic cancer; 
‘‘(ii) recommendations on the coordi-
nation of extramural and intramural pan-
creatic cancer research initiatives and pos-
sibilities for partnerships among the na-
tional research institutes, including the 
National Cancer Institute, the National In-
stitute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kid-
ney Diseases, the National Institute of En-
vironmental Health Sciences, the National 
Center for Complementary and Alternative 
Medicine, and the National Center on Mi-
nority Health and Health Disparities; 
‘‘(iii) recommendations for improving 
physician and public education about pan-
creatic cancer; 
‘‘(iv) recommendations for increasing 
the number of scientists with doctorate de-
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grees and clinician-scientists specializing in 
pancreatic cancer research; and 
‘‘(v) guidelines for information gath-
ered by pancreatic cancer patient registries 
and tissue banks to ensure uniformity and 
accessibility to the research community. 
‘‘(5) PRIORITIZATION AND AWARD OF NIH RE-
SEARCH GRANTS.— 
‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—The Committee shall 
conduct evaluations and make recommendations 
to the Secretary, the Director of the National 
Institutes of Health, and the Director of the 
National 
Cancer 
Institute 
regarding 
the 
prioritization and award of National Institutes 
of Health research grants relating to pancreatic 
cancer. 
‘‘(B) PEER REVIEW COMMITTEE.—In car-
rying out subparagraph (A), the Committee 
may appoint a peer review committee to assist 
in the evaluation of pancreatic cancer grant ap-
plications to ensure that such applications are 
reviewed by individuals with the appropriate ex-
pertise. 
‘‘(C) EVALUATION.—In evaluating pan-
creatic cancer grant applications under sub-
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paragraph (A), the Committee shall emphasize 
grants that achieve at least one of the following 
goals: 
‘‘(i) The grant is determined to be at 
least 75 percent relevant to pancreatic can-
cer research and has a primary focus on at 
least one of the following areas: 
‘‘(I) Basic research to advance 
the understanding of the biology of 
pancreatic cancer, its natural history, 
and the genetic and environmental 
factors that contribute to its develop-
ment. 
‘‘(II) Research on more precise 
diagnostic methods and screening to 
detect pancreatic cancer in earlier 
stages. 
‘‘(III) Advanced innovative clin-
ical trials testing targeted thera-
peutics and novel agents that will ex-
tend the survival of pancreatic cancer 
patients and improve their quality of 
life. 
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‘‘(ii) The grant will increase the num-
ber of young pancreatic cancer investiga-
tors. 
‘‘(iii) The grant will meet identified 
needs, criteria, or specific research goals 
set forth in the strategic plan developed 
under paragraph (3)(B). 
‘‘(D) 
RECOMMENDATIONS.—The 
Com-
mittee shall make recommendations for excep-
tion funding for grant applications that— 
‘‘(i) have 75 percent or greater rel-
evance to pancreatic cancer; and 
‘‘(ii) score within 10 points of the 
payline. 
‘‘(c) PHYSICIAN AWARENESS.— 
‘‘(1) PROGRAM.—The Secretary, in consultation 
with the Director of the National Institutes of 
Health, the Director of the Centers for Disease Con-
trol and Prevention, and relevant patient advocate 
and physician organizations, shall develop a primary 
care provider education program on pancreatic can-
cer. The Secretary may include in such program ac-
credited continuing medical education and such 
other activities as the Secretary determines appro-
priate. 
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‘‘(2) DEFINITION.—The term ‘relevant patient 
advocate and physician organization’ means a na-
tionwide organization that— 
‘‘(A) provides evidence-based disease infor-
mation to the public in a case management 
style; 
‘‘(B) directly funds research in an unbi-
ased manner by working collaboratively with 
health professionals at a variety of institutions 
and using a peer-reviewed grant mechanism; 
‘‘(C) advocates public policy outcomes that 
reflect the needs of patients; and 
‘‘(D) provides information to patients, 
families, and health professionals at the com-
munity level. 
‘‘(d) COMMUNICATION TOOL KIT.—The Director of 
the National Institutes of Health and the Director of the 
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, working col-
laboratively with patient advocate organizations, shall de-
velop a communication tool kit for patients and their fami-
lies that focuses on specific pancreatic cancer issues re-
lated to patient choices and patient care. 
‘‘(e) REPORT TO CONGRESS.—Not later than 1 year 
after the date of the enactment of this section, and annu-
ally thereafter, the Secretary shall submit a report to the 
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Congress identifying the steps taken to implement the 
Pancreatic Cancer Initiative under subsection (a). The re-
port shall include— 
‘‘(1) an assessment of the progress in improv-
ing outcomes and reducing mortality rates for those 
diagnosed with pancreatic cancer; 
‘‘(2) an explanation of how recommendations of 
the Interdisciplinary Pancreatic Cancer Coordinating 
Committee in the strategic plan developed under 
subsection (b)(3)(B) for the preceding year have 
been implemented; 
‘‘(3) a summary of the recommendations that 
were made by the Interdisciplinary Pancreatic Can-
cer Coordinating Committee for grant funding, in-
cluding exception funding, the number of such rec-
ommendations that were met, and the reasons why 
any recommendations were not met; 
‘‘(4) a break-down of research grant award 
amounts by the National Institutes of Health during 
the past year that are deemed relevant to pancreatic 
cancer research along with a quantifiable measure as 
to the relevancy of the grants to pancreatic cancer; 
‘‘(5) the number of such grants awarded to 
young principal investigators in pancreatic cancer 
described in subsection (b)(2)(A)(ii); and 
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‘‘(6) a summary of progress and deficiencies 
that were made in pancreatic cancer research during 
the preceding year. 
‘‘(f) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.—There 
are authorized to be appropriated— 
‘‘(1) to carry out subsection (a), $140,000,000 
for fiscal year 2009 and such sums as may be nec-
essary for fiscal years 2010 through 2013; 
‘‘(2) to carry out subsection (c), $2,000,000 for 
fiscal year 2009 and such sums as may be necessary 
for fiscal years 2010 through 2013; and 
‘‘(3) to carry out subsection (d), $2,000,000 for 
fiscal year 2009 and such sums as may be necessary 
for fiscal years 2010 through 2013.’’. 
SEC. 3. NATIONAL INSTITUTES OF HEALTH RESEARCH. 
Part B of title IV of the Public Health Service Act 
(42 U.S.C. 284 et seq.) is amended by adding at the end 
the following: 
‘‘SEC. 409J. CANCER RESEARCH. 
‘‘(a) 
CANCER
RESEARCH
INCUBATOR
PILOT 
PROJECT.— 
‘‘(1) GRANTS.— 
‘‘(A) IN
GENERAL.—The Secretary may 
award grants to research institutions for use in 
developing innovative compounds or tech-
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nologies for the prevention, early detection, or 
treatment of those cancers with 5-year survival 
rates of less than 50 percent. 
‘‘(B) RELATION TO OTHER NIH GRANTS.— 
Subject to subparagraph (A), the Secretary 
shall encourage each recipient of a grant under 
this section to use the grant for research activi-
ties that may serve as a springboard for the re-
ceipt of other grants, including Specialized Pro-
grams of Research Excellence (SPORE) grants, 
from the National Institutes of Health and its 
national research institutes. 
‘‘(2) GRANT PERIOD.—The period of a grant 
under this section shall be 5 years. 
‘‘(3) FOCUS.—During the initial 5 fiscal years 
of carrying out this section, the Secretary shall focus 
on awarding grants for use in developing innovative 
compounds or technologies for the prevention, early 
detection, or treatment of pancreatic cancer. 
‘‘(4) REPORT.—Not later than 5 years after the 
date of the enactment of this section, the Secretary 
shall submit a report to the Congress evaluating the 
program under this section and making rec-
ommendations for expansion of the program to other 
cancers. 
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‘‘(5) AUTHORIZATION
OF
APPROPRIATIONS.— 
To carry out this subsection, there are authorized to 
be appropriated $5,000,000 for fiscal year 2009 and 
such sums as may be necessary for fiscal years 2010 
through 2013. 
‘‘(b) CENTERS OF EXCELLENCE.— 
‘‘(1) DESIGNATION.—The Secretary may des-
ignate 2 additional Specialized Programs of Re-
search Excellence (SPOREs) focusing solely on pan-
creatic cancer research. In carrying out this para-
graph, the Secretary may choose to designate one or 
more satellite centers that augment the work of a 
previously designated Specialized Program of Re-
search Excellence. 
‘‘(2) AUTHORIZATION
OF
APPROPRIATIONS.— 
To carry out this subsection, there are authorized to 
be appropriated $20,000,000 for fiscal year 2009 
and such sums as may be necessary for fiscal years 
2010 through 2013.’’. 
Æ 
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