Conquer Childhood Cancer Act of 2006 - Amends the Public Health Service Act to require the Director of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), acting through the National Cancer Institute, to establish special programs of research excellence in the area of pediatric cancers.
Requires the Secretary of Health and Human Services to develop a grant mechanism for the establishment of Research Fellowships in Pediatric Cancer to support adequate numbers of pediatric focused clinical and translational investigators.
Requires the Director to award a grant for the operation of a population-based national childhood cancer database, the Childhood Cancer Research Network.
Requires the Secretary to award grants to recognized childhood cancer professional and advocacy organizations to raise public awareness of currently available information, treatment, and research with intent to ensure access to best available therapies for pediatric cancers.
[Congressional Bills 109th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 4927 Introduced in House (IH)]
109th CONGRESS
2d Session
H. R. 4927
To amend the Public Health Service Act to advance medical research and
treatments into pediatric cancers, ensure patients and families have
access to the current treatments and information regarding pediatric
cancers, establish a population-based national childhood cancer
database, and promote public awareness of pediatric cancers.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
March 9, 2006
Ms. Pryce of Ohio (for herself, Mr. McCaul of Texas, and Mr. Cannon)
introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on
Energy and Commerce
_______________________________________________________________________
A BILL
To amend the Public Health Service Act to advance medical research and
treatments into pediatric cancers, ensure patients and families have
access to the current treatments and information regarding pediatric
cancers, establish a population-based national childhood cancer
database, and promote public awareness of pediatric cancers.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the
United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
This Act may be cited as the ``Conquer Childhood Cancer Act of
2006''.
SEC. 2. FINDINGS.
Congress makes the following findings:
(1) Cancer kills more children than any other disease.
(2) Each year cancer kills more children between 1 and 20
years of age than asthma, diabetes, cystic fibrosis, and AIDS,
combined.
(3) Every year, over 12,500 young people are diagnosed with
cancer.
(4) Each year about 2,300 children and teenagers die from
cancer.
(5) One in every 330 Americans develops cancer before age
20.
(6) Some forms of childhood cancer have proven to be so
resistant that even in spite of the great research strides
made, most of those children die. Up to 75 percent of the
children with cancer can now be cured.
(7) Brain tumors are now the most common cause of cancer-
related death in children and are the most common solid tumor
of childhood. Neuroblastoma is the second most common pediatric
solid tumor (after brain tumors) and represents a major
therapeutic challenge. More than 50 percent of children with
metastatic disease still die despite aggressive, toxic
chemotherapy regimens.
(8) The causes of most childhood cancers are not yet known.
(9) Childhood cancers are mostly those of the white blood
cells (leukemias), brain, bone, the lymphatic system, and
tumors of the muscles, kidneys, and nervous system. Each of
these behaves differently, but all are characterized by an
uncontrolled proliferation of abnormal cells.
(10) Eighty percent of the children who are diagnosed with
cancer have disease which has already spread to distant sites
in the body.
(11) Ninety percent of children with a form of pediatric
cancer are treated at one of the more than 200 Children's
Oncology Group member institutions throughout the United
States.
SEC. 3. PURPOSES.
It is the purpose of this Act to authorize appropriations to--
(1) encourage and expand the support for biomedical
research programs of the existing National Cancer Institute-
designated multi-center national infrastructure for pediatric
cancer research;
(2) establish a population-based national childhood cancer
database (the Children's Cancer Research Network) to evaluate
incidence trends of childhood cancers and to enable the
investigations of genetic epidemiology in order to identify
causes to aid in development of prevention strategies;
(3) provide informational services to patients and families
affected by childhood cancer;
(4) support the development, construction and operation of
a comprehensive online public information system on childhood
cancers and services available to families; and
(5) establish a fellowship program in pediatric cancer
research to foster clinical and translational research career
development in pediatric oncologists in the early stages of
their career.
SEC. 4. PEDIATRIC CANCER RESEARCH AND AWARENESS.
Subpart 1 of part C of title IV of the Public Health Service Act
(42 U.S.C. 285 et seq.) is amended by adding at the end thereof the
following:
``SEC. 417E. PEDIATRIC CANCER RESEARCH AND AWARENESS.
``(a) Pediatric Cancer Research.--
``(1) Special programs of research excellence in pediatric
cancers.--The Director of NIH, acting through the National
Cancer Institute, shall establish special programs of research
excellence in the area of pediatric cancers. Such programs
shall demonstrate a balanced approach to research cause,
prognosis, prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of pediatric
cancers that foster translation of basic research findings into
innovative interventions applied to patients.
``(2) Fellowship of excellence in pediatric cancer
research.--The Secretary shall develop a grant mechanism for
the establishment, in cooperation with the National Cancer
Institute-supported pediatric cancer clinical trial groups, of
Research Fellowships in Pediatric Cancer to support adequate
numbers of pediatric focused clinical and translational
investigators thereby facilitating continuous momentum of
research excellence.
``(b) National Childhood Cancer Registry.--The Director of NIH
shall award a grant for the operation of a population-based national
childhood cancer database, the Childhood Cancer Research Network
(CCRN), of the Children's Oncology Group, in cooperation with the
National Cancer Institute.
``(c) Public Awareness of Pediatric Cancers and Available
Treatments and Research.--The Secretary shall award grants to
recognized childhood cancer professional and advocacy organizations for
the expansion and widespread implementation of activities to raise
public awareness of currently available information, treatment, and
research with the intent to ensure access to best available therapies
for pediatric cancers.
``(d) Authorization of Appropriations.--There is authorized to be
appropriated to carry out this section $20,000,000 for each of fiscal
years 2007 through 2011. Funds appropriated under this section shall
remain available until expended.''.
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Introduced in House
Introduced in House
Referred to the House Committee on Energy and Commerce.
Referred to the Subcommittee on Health.
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