IV 
112TH CONGRESS 
2D SESSION 
H. RES. 531 
Recognizing the 40th anniversary of the National Cancer Act of 1971 and 
the more than 12,000,000 survivors of cancer alive today because of 
the commitment of the United States to cancer research and advances 
in cancer prevention, detection, diagnosis, and treatment. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
JANUARY 31, 2012 
Mr. ISRAEL (for himself, Mr. NEAL, Mr. HIGGINS, Mr. CARNAHAN, Mr. 
TOWNS, Mr. LEWIS of Georgia, Mr. ENGEL, Mrs. MALONEY, Mr. KING 
of New York, Ms. CLARKE of New York, Mr. REED, Mr. RANGEL, Mr. 
SABLAN, Mr. BACA, Ms. DELAURO, Mr. CAPUANO, Mr. BURTON of Indi-
ana, Ms. RICHARDSON, Ms. SPEIER, Mr. CONYERS, Mr. LEVIN, Mr. GRI-
JALVA, Mr. PIERLUISI, Mrs. CHRISTENSEN, Mrs. MCCARTHY of New 
York, Mr. HINCHEY, Mr. TURNER of New York, Mr. ACKERMAN, Ms. 
MCCOLLUM, Mrs. LOWEY, Ms. BORDALLO, Mr. FALEOMAVAEGA, Mr. 
PRICE of North Carolina, Mrs. DAVIS of California, Ms. LORETTA SAN-
CHEZ of California, Mr. HASTINGS of Florida, Mr. NADLER, Mr. COHEN, 
Mr. COOPER, and Mr. FRANK of Massachusetts) submitted the following 
resolution; which was referred to the Committee on Energy and Com-
merce 
RESOLUTION 
Recognizing the 40th anniversary of the National Cancer 
Act of 1971 and the more than 12,000,000 survivors 
of cancer alive today because of the commitment of the 
United States to cancer research and advances in cancer 
prevention, detection, diagnosis, and treatment. 
Whereas 40 years ago, with the passage of the National Can-
cer Act of 1971 (Public Law 92–218; 85 Stat. 778), the 
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•HRES 531 IH 
leaders of the United States came together to set the 
country on a concerted course to conquer cancer through 
research; 
Whereas the passage of the National Cancer Act of 1971 led 
to the establishment of the National Cancer Program, 
which significantly expanded the authorities and respon-
sibilities of the National Cancer Institute, a component of 
the National Institutes of Health; 
Whereas the term ‘‘cancer’’ refers to more than 200 diseases 
that collectively represent the leading cause of death for 
people in the United States under the age of 85, and the 
second leading cause of death for people in the United 
States overall; 
Whereas cancer touches everyone, either through a direct, 
personal diagnosis or indirectly through the diagnosis of 
a family member or friend; 
Whereas, in 2011, cancer remains one of the most pressing 
public health concerns in the United States, with more 
than 1,500,000 people in the United States expected to 
be diagnosed with cancer each year; 
Whereas the National Institutes of Health estimated the 
overall 
cost 
of 
cancer 
to 
be 
greater 
than 
$260,000,000,000 in 2010 alone; 
Whereas approximately 1 out of every 3 women and 1 out of 
every 2 men will develop cancer in their lifetimes, and 
more than 570,000 people in the United States will die 
from cancer this year, which is more than 1 person every 
minute and nearly 1 out of every 4 deaths; 
Whereas the commitment of the United States to cancer re-
search and biomedical science has enabled more than 
12,000,000 people in the United States to survive cancer, 
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15 percent of whom were diagnosed 20 or more years 
ago, and has resulted in extraordinary progress being 
made against cancer, including— 
(1) an increase in the average 5-year survival rate 
for all cancers combined to 68 percent for adults and 80 
percent for children and adolescents, up from 50 percent 
and 52 percent, respectively, in 1971; 
(2) average 5-year survival rates for breast and 
prostate cancers exceeding 90 percent; 
(3) a decline in mortality due to colorectal cancer 
and prostate cancer; and 
(4) from 1990 to 2007, a decline in the death rate 
from all cancers combined of 22 percent for men and 14 
percent for women, resulting in nearly 900,000 fewer 
deaths during that period; 
Whereas the driving force behind this progress has been sup-
port for the National Cancer Institute and its parent 
agency, the National Institutes of Health, which funds 
the work of more than 325,000 researchers and research 
personnel at more than 3,000 universities, medical 
schools, medical centers, teaching hospitals, small busi-
nesses, and research institutions in every State; 
Whereas the commitment of the United States to cancer re-
search has yielded substantial returns in both research 
advances and lives saved, and it is estimated that every 
1 percent decline in cancer mortality saves the economy 
of the United States $500,000,000,000 annually; 
Whereas advancements in understanding the causes and 
mechanisms of cancer and improvements in the detection, 
diagnosis, treatment, and prevention of cancer have led 
to cures for many types of cancers and have converted 
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other types of cancers into manageable chronic condi-
tions; 
Whereas continued support for clinical trials to evaluate the 
efficacy and therapeutic benefit of promising treatments 
for cancer is essential for translating new knowledge and 
discoveries into tangible benefits for patients, especially 
because all standard cancer therapies began as clinical 
trials; 
Whereas, despite the significant progress that has been made 
in treating many cancers, there remain those cancers for 
which the mortality rate is extraordinarily high, including 
pancreatic, liver, lung, multiple myeloma, ovarian, esoph-
ageal, stomach, and brain cancers, which have a 5-year 
survival rate of less than 50 percent; 
Whereas research advances concerning uncommon cancers, 
which pose unique treatment challenges, provide an op-
portunity for understanding the general properties of 
human cancers and curing uncommon cancers as well as 
more common cancers; 
Whereas crucial developments have been achieved in cancer 
research that could provide breakthroughs necessary to 
address the increasing incidence of, and reduce deaths 
caused by, many forms of cancer; 
Whereas research into the effect of certain forms of cancer 
on different population groups offers a significant oppor-
tunity to lessen the burden of the disease, because many 
population groups across the country suffer dispropor-
tionately from certain forms of cancer; and 
Whereas a sustained commitment to the research of the Na-
tional Institutes of Health and the National Cancer Insti-
tute is necessary to improve the entire spectrum of pa-
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tient care, from cancer prevention, early detection, and 
diagnosis, to treatment and long-term survivorship, and 
to prevent research advances from being stalled or de-
layed: Now, therefore, be it 
Resolved, That the House of Representatives— 
(1) recognizes the 40th anniversary of the Na-
tional Cancer Act of 1971 (Public Law 92–218; 85 
Stat. 778); and 
(2) celebrates and reaffirms the commitment 
embodied in the National Cancer Act of 1971, spe-
cifically, that support for cancer research continues 
to be a national priority to address the scope of this 
pressing public health concern. 
Æ 
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