Date: 2012-12-20
Speaker: JACKSON LEE (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: Texas

The House was able to hold its position. And on title VII. section 737. I want to say thank you. There is a long amendment that includes my amendment and specifically speaks to having a report that will have recommendations for changes to policy. a law that could improve the prevention. early detection. awareness and treatment of breast cancer among the Members of the Armed Forces. I would ask the Defense Department that when you look at treatment and research. you must include the triple negative breast cancer. That is. as well. an attack on your personnel in the United States military. If we care about our soldiers. our men and women in all of the branches who serve us. well care about their health. and we will include that research. I thank the conferees for moving forward on something that is so near and dear to the families of those who live. but certainly of those of the families who have died. Mr. Speaker. I am here today in support of language from my Amendment. Number 91 to H.R. 4310 "National Defense Authorization Act." which would direct the Department of Defense Office of Health to work in collaboration with the National Institutes of Health to identify specific genetic and molecular targets and biomarkers for Triple Negative Breast Cancer (TNBC). In addition. my amendment was intended to result in information useful in biomarker selection. drug discovery. and clinical trials design that will enable both TNBC patients to be identified earlier in the progression of their disease and develop multiple targeted therapies for the disease. Unfortunately. my language was not included in the Senate Amendment but I have read language in the Joint Managers Statement and the Conference Report does provide for a study. The language reads. "Study on incidence of breast cancer among members of the Armed Forces serving on active duty." and is included in Section 737. I stand up for all women today who have been victims and really for those who might so that we can look into prevention. cure. and eradication of breast cancer. 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 in hopes that through a coordinated effort. DOD and NIH can 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. Today. 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.