House Affirms Pryce’s Resolution to Fight Pediatric Cancer

September 25, 2007

House Affirms Pryce’s Resolution to Fight Pediatric Cancer

Washington , DC – Today, the U.S. House of Representatives approved a resolution (H.Res.470) authored by Congresswoman Deborah Pryce (R-Columbus), affirming Congress’s commitment to increasing federal support in the fight against pediatric cancer. The resolution asserts that Congress can improve the federal role in combating the disease by supporting childhood cancer awareness, treatment and research. Today’s vote is a celebratory close to September -- Childhood Cancer Awareness Month.

“For any family touched by pediatric cancer, theirs is a world of despair, uncertainty, and of unrelenting fear and anxiety,” said Pryce upon passage. “This resolution is a promise to these families that we can envision a world absolved of these heartaches. It is a belief that we are approaching a point in time where medical advancement – coupled with a new resolve among researchers, advocates, and public officials – will one day eradicate pediatric cancer. It is a promise to the children who suffer from cancer that we know that our nation can do better to help them in their fight and in their struggles.”

“All of us recognize the fear and pain experienced by children suffering from cancer experience, and pray that someday no child will be forced to endure such hardships,” Pryce said. “We believe that someday, we will unlock cancer’s mysteries and develop a cure to end what has taken so many young and promising lives from us. But for children and families who are today embroiled in the fight against cancer, someday is of little solace. This vote is our pledge to them that their elected leaders will not passively wait for someday to arrive.”

“This resolution says to the children and their families who are waging their own battles against pediatric cancer that Congress must work harder to harness our nation’s vast resources and optimize public policy to aid you in your struggles.”

Pryce is a Co-Founder and Co-Chairs the House Cancer Caucus . She is the author of the Conquer Childhood Cancer Act, the Access to Cancer Therapies Act, the Compassionate Care for Children Act, and the Access to Cancer Clinical Trials Act. Pryce also helped launch Hope Street Kids, a nonprofit charity dedicated to pediatric cancer research.

H.Res.470 resolves that Congress should support:

(1) public and private sector efforts to promote awareness about the incidence of cancer among children, the signs and symptoms of cancer in children, treatment options, and long-term follow-up;

(2) increased public and private investment in childhood cancer research to improve prevention, diagnosis, treatment, rehabilitation, post-treatment monitoring, and long-term survival;

(3) policies that provide incentives to encourage medical trainees and investigators to enter the field of pediatric oncology;

(4) policies that provide incentives to encourage the development of drugs and biologics designed to treat pediatric cancers;

(5) policies that encourage participation in clinical trials;

(6) medical education curricula designed to improve pain management for cancer patients; and

(7) policies that enhance education, services, and other resources related to late effects from treatment.

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