I 
114TH CONGRESS 
2D SESSION 
H. R. 5263 
To require a study on women and lung cancer, and for other purposes. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
MAY 17, 2016 
Mr. NOLAN (for himself, Mr. LOBIONDO, Mrs. CAPPS, and Mr. DEFAZIO) in-
troduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on En-
ergy and Commerce 
A BILL 
To require a study on women and lung 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 ‘‘Women and Lung Can-
cer Research and Preventive Services Act of 2016’’. 
SEC. 2. FINDINGS. 
Congress finds as follows: 
(1) In the United States, an average of 198 
women die each day of lung cancer, one every 7 min-
utes. 
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(2) Lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer 
death among women. 
(3) The National Cancer Institute estimates 
that in 2016, 71,600 women will die of lung cancer, 
more than the combined total of all estimated deaths 
from 
breast 
cancer 
(40,450), 
ovarian 
cancer 
(14,240), cervical cancer (4,120), uterine cancer 
(10,470), and other gynecologic cancers (1,990). 
(4) Two-thirds of never-smokers diagnosed with 
lung cancer are women; lung cancer in never-smok-
ers is the sixth leading cause of all cancer deaths. 
(5) According to a report of the Surgeon Gen-
eral in 2014 entitled, ‘‘The Health Consequences of 
Smoking—50 Years of Progress’’, the relative risk 
of women smokers developing lung cancer compared 
to women who never smoked increased tenfold be-
tween 1965 and 2010. 
(6) Women are at greater risk than men of 
being diagnosed with lung cancer at young ages. 
(7) Women smokers with BRCA2 mutations, 
more commonly associated with breast cancer, have 
a 1 in 4 risk of developing lung cancer. 
(8) A Government Accountability Office report 
published on October 22, 2015, called for the Na-
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tional Institutes of Health to do more in evaluating 
gender differences in research. 
(9) Additional research strategies and clinical 
trials are necessary to explore the differences in lung 
cancer risk factors, incidence, and treatment re-
sponse in women, and to address the disparate im-
pact of lung cancer on women who have never 
smoked. 
(10) Lung cancer screening, which can detect 
lung cancer at its earliest, most curable stage, is a 
covered service available without cost-sharing for 
those at high risk. 
(11) Published peer-reviewed actuarial studies 
indicate that lung cancer screening individuals at 
high risk is cost-effective. 
(12) The National Framework of Excellence in 
Lung Cancer Screening and Continuum of Care, 
launched in 2012, demonstrated that lung cancer 
screening can be safely and effectively carried out in 
community hospital settings around the Nation. 
(13) Lung cancer screening research indicates 
that the same technology used to screen for lung 
cancer could be used to simultaneously screen for 
early breast, heart, and lung diseases, which to-
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gether constitute more than 50 percent of deaths 
among women in the United States. 
(14) Information on the impact of lung cancer 
on women and the importance of early detection 
should be incorporated into all public health aware-
ness campaigns. 
SEC. 3. SENSE OF CONGRESS CONCERNING WOMEN AND 
LUNG CANCER. 
It is the sense of Congress that— 
(1) there is a disparate impact of lung cancer 
on women and, in particular, on women who have 
never smoked; 
(2) additional research strategies to explore the 
differences in women with respect to lung cancer 
risk factors, incidence, histology, and response to 
treatment are justified and necessary; 
(3) the implementation of lung cancer preven-
tive services for women should be accelerated; and 
(4) the public health agencies of the Federal 
Government should coordinate public education and 
awareness programs on the impact of lung cancer on 
women and the importance of early detection. 
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SEC. 4. STUDY TO EVALUATE AND MAKE RECOMMENDA-
TIONS FOR THE ACCELERATION OF RE-
SEARCH ON WOMEN AND LUNG CANCER, 
GREATER ACCESS TO PREVENTIVE SERV-
ICES, AND STRATEGIC PUBLIC AWARENESS 
AND EDUCATION CAMPAIGNS. 
(a) STUDY.—The Secretary of Health and Human 
Services, in consultation with the Secretary of Defense 
and Secretary of Veterans Affairs, shall conduct an inter-
agency study to evaluate the status of, and make rec-
ommendations for, increased— 
(1) research on women and lung cancer; 
(2) access to lung cancer preventive services; 
and 
(3) strategic public awareness and education 
campaigns on lung cancer. 
(b) CONTENT.—The study and recommendations 
under subsection (a) shall include— 
(1) a review and comprehensive report on the 
outcomes of previous research, the status of existing 
research activities, and knowledge gaps related to 
women and lung cancer in all agencies of the Fed-
eral Government; 
(2) specific recommendations for a collabo-
rative, interagency, multidisciplinary, and innovative 
research program, that would— 
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(A) encourage innovative approaches to 
eliminate knowledge gaps in research; 
(B) evaluate environmental and genomic 
factors that may be related to the etiology of 
lung cancer in women; and 
(C) foster advances in imaging technology 
to improve risk assessment, diagnosis, treat-
ment, and the simultaneous application of other 
preventive services; 
(3) recommendations for the development of a 
national lung cancer screening strategy with suffi-
cient infrastructure and personnel resources to ex-
pand access to such screening, particularly among 
underserved populations; and 
(4) recommendations for the development of a 
national public education and awareness campaign 
on women and lung cancer and the importance of 
early detection of lung cancer. 
(c) REPORT.—Not later than 180 days after the date 
of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary of Health and 
Human Services shall submit to Congress a report on the 
study conducted under subsection (a). 
Æ 
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