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FOCR and AACI Host Day on
Capitol Hill for Cancer Centers
O n
April 5th, Friends of Cancer Research joined with the
Association of American Cancer Institutes to host a day of
activities on Capitol Hill that focused on the importance
of cancer centers to advancing research, patient care, and
economic infrastructure. Featuring directors and senior
representatives from 24 cancer centers representing 15
states and the District, the events included congressional
office meetings, a lunch briefing for health staffers, and
an evening reception for members and special guests. The
Senate Cancer Coalition and the House Cancer Caucus
co-sponsored the briefing and the reception.
Cancer center
directors touched on numerous themes throughout day
including the critical role of federal funding for cancer
research, the importance of the National Cancer Institute
and the special authorities it was granted through the
1971 National
 Cancer
Act, drug safety concerns, and other issues affecting
advancements in patient care and cancer research. “We’re
staring at flat budgets for [NIH’s] cancer institute,”
stated Dr. Robert Young (pictured left), President
of the Fox Chase Cancer Center in Pennsylvania. He went
on to explain that as a result, "an enormous amount of
really innovative ideas are going unexplored."
 However,
the challenges do not all center on funding;
other barriers include regulatory issues and accrual rates
to clinical trials. Edward Benz (pictured right),
President and CEO of the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute in
Massachusetts explained: “When an idea is ready to be
applied in the clinic and we want to bring it in to
clinical trials and actually find out if this agent is
going to help patients, we find another enormous set of
roadblocks that leave many good ideas sitting on the
table.”
Lunch Briefing
In addition to the nearly
40 representatives from cancer centers, the luncheon
briefing was attended by roughly 50 congressional staffers
from both House and Senate offices. The panel discussion
was moderated by Dr. Karen Antman, MD, the Deputy Director
of the NCI’s Translational and Clinical Sciences. The
panelists included Dr. Edward Benz, Jr. of the Dana-Farber
Cancer Institute in Massachusetts, Dr. Judith Gasson of
the UCLA Jonsson Comprehensive Cancer Center in
California, Jim Miller, a patient representative from the
UCSF Cancer Center in California, Dr. Robert Young of the
Fox Chase Cancer Center in Pennsylvania, and Dr Harold
Moses of the Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center in Tennessee.
Panelists pictured above
from left to right: Dr. Harold Moses, Dr. Karen Antman,
Jim Miller, Dr. Judith Gasson, Dr. Robert Young, Dr.
Edward Benz.
A concern common to all the
panelists was that the enormous scientific momentum that
has been building in the fields of proteomics, genomics,
and nanotechnology may falter or be delayed if federal
research funding waivers. Advancements in these fields
hold the greatest promise for creating better tools for
the prevention and early detection of cancer, which are
absolutely critical to achieving the Administration’s goal
of eliminating the suffering and death due to cancer by
2015.
Hill Visits
Following the luncheon, the
cancer center representatives participated in dozens of
office meetings throughout the afternoon on both the House
and Senate side. In addition to explaining the role
federal dollars play in the cutting edge science and
patient care being conducted at their centers, many of the
cancer center representatives touched on other issues such
as drug safety and the important role of the special
authorities granted to the NCI by the National Cancer
Act.
Reception
 After
a luncheon with congressional health staffers, and an
afternoon of meetings with numerous congressional offices,
directors and senior representatives from cancer centers
across the country joined Friends of Cancer Research and
AACI at an evening reception in the Capitol Building with
several key members of Congress. The informal gathering
offered the legislators an opportunity to express their
support for the pioneering work being conducted at the
nation’s cancer centers. Pictured left, Dr. Weiner,
Director of the Holden Comprehensive Cancer Center in
Iowa, speaks with Iowa U.S. Senator Tom Harkin.
Pictured Above Left: Dr. Ellen Sigal, Senator Sam
Brownback, Dr. Hal Moses, Dr. Janet Woodcock (FDA), and
Dr. Shelly Earp (Director of the UNC Lineberger
Comprehensive Cancer Center). Pictured Above Right: Dr.
Bob Young, Congressman Steve Israel, and Congresswoman
Lois Capps.
 Senator
Sam Brownback (R-KS) provided some welcoming remarks as
co-Chair of the Senate Cancer Coalition, which
co-sponsored the event along with the House Cancer Caucus
(California Senator Diane Feinstein is the other
co-chair). Congresswoman Lois Capps (D-CA-23rd) and
Congressman Steve Israel (D-NY-2nd) spoke on behalf of the
Cancer Caucus, which they co-chair along with
Congresswomen Deborah Pryce (R-OH-15th) and Sue Myrick
(R-NC-9th). Pictured at right: Senator Stevens with
AACI Executive Director Barbara Duffy Stewart.
Pictured above, left: Congressman
Jim Matheson (D-UT,2nd) Dr. Stephen Prescott (Director of
the Huntsman Cancer Center, Utah) and Marlene Malek,
President of FOCR. Pictured above right: Senator Inouye
and Dr. Lester Crawford.
Senator Orrin Hatch (R-UT)
(pictured at left) also made remarks at the reception
and several other
members attended including Senators Tom Harkin (D-IA),
Senator Daniel Inouye (D-HI), Senate President pro tempore
Ted Stevens (R-AK), and Congressman Jim Matheson
(D-UT-2nd). Acting FDA Commissioner Dr. Lester Crawford
and Acting Deputy Commissioner Dr. Janet Woodcock also
attended.
All pictures from April 5th
events were taken by Mike Gatty of DCEventPhotos.
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