Date: 2016-05-18
Speaker: JACKSON LEE (democrat)
Chamber: H

I thank the gentleman so very much. Mr. Chair. it is a disease. however. that can be conquered. Triple negative breast cancer. TNBC. accounts for between 13 percent and 25 percent of all breast cancers in the United States. It is of a higher grade. and it onsets at a young age. That means these women are in the United States military. Finally. because it continues. there is a need for research funding for biomarker selection. drug discovery. and clinical trials that will lead to the early detection of TNBC and to the development of multiple targeted therapies to treat this awful disease. My amendment would provide for that. In coming from Houston. Texas. with MD Anderson Cancer Center. I can tell you that they are looking at major research that can be very helpful between the NIH and the Department of Defense. I hope my amendment will stay in this particular bill. and I hope it will go to the Senate and will be signed by the President. Mr. Chair. I thank Chairman THORNBERRY. Ranking Member ADAM SMITH and the Rules Committee for making in order and including Jackson Lee Amendment and including it in En Bloc Amendment Number 2 to the "National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2017." This is the first of 3 Jackson Lee amendments made in order by the House Rules Committee. Jackson Lee Amendment Number 45. calls for increased collaboration between the DoD and the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to combat Triple Negative Breast Cancer. Jackson Lee Amendment Number 45 directs the DoD and NIH to collaborate to combat Triple Negative Breast Cancer. This amendment directs the Department of Defense to identify specific genetic and molecular targets and biomarkers for TNBC. "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 cell membrane of tumor cells. This makes commonly used tests and methods to detect breast cancer not as effective. This is a serious illness that affects between 1017% of female breast cancer patients and this condition is more likely to cause death than the most common form of breast cancer. Seventy percent of women with metastatic triple negative breast cancer do not live more than five years after being diagnosed. Jackson Lee Amendment Number 45 will help to save lives. TNBC disproportionately impacts younger women. African American women. Hispanic/ Latina women. and women with a "BRCA1 genetic mutation. which is prevalent in Jewish women. TNBC usually affects women under 50 years of age and makes up more than 30% of all breast cancer diagnoses in African Americans. Black women are far more susceptible to this dangerous subtype than white or Hispanic women. The collaboration between the Department of Defense and NIH to combat Triple Negative Breast Cancer can support the development of multiple targeted therapies for this devastating disease. 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." 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 cell membrane of tumor cells In 2011. the Centers for Disease Control predicted that that year 26.840 black women would be diagnosed with TNBC. The overall incidence rate of breast cancer is 10% lower in African American women than white women. African American women have a five year survival rate of 78% after diagnosis as compared to 90% for white women. The incidence rate of breast cancer among women under 45 is higher for African American women compared to white women. Triple Negative Breast Cancer cells: TNBC accounts for between 13% and 25% of all breast cancer in the United States. usually of a higher grade and size. onset at a younger age. are more aggressive. are more likely to metastasize. Currently. 70% of women with metastatic triple negative breast cancer do not live more than five years after being diagnosed. African American women are 3 times more likely to develop triplenegative breast cancer than White women. AfricanAmerican women have prevalence TNBC of 26% versus 16% in nonAfricanAmerican women. AfricanAmerican women are more likely to be diagnosed with larger tumors and more advanced stages of breast cancer. Currently there is no targeted treatment for TNBC. 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. Because there continues to be a need for research funding for biomarker selection. drug discovery. and clinical trial designs that will lead to the early detection of TNBC and to the development of multiple targeted therapies to treat this awful disease Jackson Lee Amendment Number 45 included in En Bloc 2 is essential to paving a way for advancements in these areas. I thank Chairman THORNBERRY and Ranking Member SMITH for including these amendments in the En Bloc Amendment Number 2. and I urge all Members to join me in voting for its adoption.