Date: 2011-07-06
Speaker: JACKSON LEE (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: Texas

I appreciate it. Let me just say. breast cancer accounts for one in four cancer diagnoses among women. The American Cancer Society estimates that in 2011. more than 26.000 African American women will be diagnosed with breast cancer and another 6.000 will die. This impacts all women. of all backgrounds. and my interest is to make sure that every subset has a seat at the table. Chairman YOUNG. so that no matter what ethnic background you come from. you will not. in essence. suffer the opportunity for full research. My amendment was $500.000. It is in tribute to the honor and the leadership and the life of Yolanda Williams. I would like to ask my colleagues here on the Appropriations Committee to allow me to engage with you and to possibly modify. as we go forward. language to just say that this money will be available for difficult strains of cancer so that her life will be honored and that we would be able to move forward. In conclusion. I would indicate that I had the privilege and honor of paying tribute to Ms. Williams at her homegoing service. I want to offer to her family again. her husband. her children. her mother and all her family members. my deepest sympathy for this valiant American woman. With that. I know that we will work together. Mr. Chair. I rise today in support of my amendment #67 to H.R. 2219. the "FY2012 Department of Defense Appropriations Act." My amendment would increase funding under Title VI Defense Health Programs by $500.000 in order to fund research related to triple negative breast cancer. and will be offset by reducing the general operations and maintenances and activities of the Department of Defense. Triple negative breast cancer is a specific strain of breast cancer for which no targeted treatment is available. The American Cancer Society calls this particular strain of breast cancer "an aggressive subtype associated with lower survival rates." I offer this amendment to increase funding for research in order to develop a targeted treatment for the triple negative breast cancer strain. Breast cancers with specific. targeted treatment methods. such as hormone and gene based strains. have higher survival rates than the triple negative subtype. highlighting the need for a targeted treatment. Breast cancer accounts for 1 in 4 cancer diagnoses among women in this country. It is also the most commonly diagnosed cancer among African American women. The American Cancer Society estimates that in 2011. more than 26.000 African American women will be diagnosed with breast cancer. and another 6.000 will die from the disease. Between 2002 and 2007. African American women suffered a 39 percent higher death rate from breast cancer than other groups. African American women are also 12 percent less likely to survive five years after a breast cancer diagnosis. One reason for this disparity is that African American women are disproportionally affected by triple negative breast cancer. More than 30 percent of all breast cancer diagnoses in African American are of the triple negative variety. Black women are far more susceptible to this dangerous subtype than white or Hispanic women. Mr. Chairman. last month. I spoke at a funeral for Yolanda Williams. one of my constituents in the 18th Congressional District of Texas. Yolanda died from her battle with triple negative breast cancer. Like many other women who are diagnosed with this aggressive strain. she did not respond to treatment. Yolanda. wife and mother of two daughters. was only 44 years old. This strain of breast cancer is not only more aggressive. it is also harder to detect. and more likely to recur than other types. Because triple negative breast cancer is difficult to detect. it often metastasizes to other parts of the body before diagnosis. Seventy percent of women with metastatic triple negative breast cancer do not live more than five years after being diagnosed. Research institutions all over the nation have started to focus on this dangerous strain of breast cancer. In my home city of Houston. Baylor College of Medicine has its best and brightest minds working tirelessly to develop a targeted treatment for the triple negative breast cancer subtype. It is time for the Department of Defense to follow that example and commit additional funding to study the triple negative strain. I urge my colleagues to join me in protecting women across the nation from this deadly form of breast cancer by supporting my amendment. I ask unanimous consent to withdraw the amendment. The Acting CHAIR. Without objection. the amendment is withdrawn.