110th Congress

The National Cancer Act of 2007

S. 1056

Background

Established in 1937, the National Cancer Institute (NCI) leads the national effort to eliminate the suffering and death due to cancer. Through basic and clinical biomedical research and training, NCI conducts and supports research that will lead to a future in which cancer can be prevented before it starts, cancers that develop can be identified at the earliest stage, cancers can be eliminated through innovative treatment interventions, and cancers that cannot be eliminated can be biologically controlled so that they become manageable chronic diseases.

Senator Dianne Feinstein (D-CA), along with cosponsor and Senate Cancer Coalition co-chair Senator Sam Brownback (R-KS), introduced this legislation, which amends authorities across the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) as "a bipartisan blueprint for winning the war on cancer."

Provisions of the Legislation/Impact on NIH

S. 1056 would amend the Public Health Service Act to require NCI to:

• Not later than 6 months after enactment, provide a progress report on the goal of reducing death and suffering from cancer in the next 10 years
• Carry out a research grant program for targeted treatments against cancer
• Establish an education program to improve patient access to cancer clinical trials
• Conduct a study in coordination with the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs and the National Institute of Nursing Research to determine the best way to ensure a sufficient number of cancer researchers. The Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) would then be required to establish a program based on the recommendations of the study.
• Establish a loan repayment program for qualified health professionals who agree to engage in cancer prevention research
• Conduct a study on the health challenges of cancer survivors and carry out projects and interventions to improve their long-term health care status
• Award grants to develop, monitor, and evaluate information concerning quality cancer care in cancer survivorship
• Coordinate the development and regular update of cancer care guidelines
• Conduct and support research to improve the quality and outcomes of cancer care and access to such care at all stages of the health care continuum
• Not later than 6 months after enactment, coordinate with the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences to prepare a strategic plan that identifies unmet needs, progress goals and benchmarks, and the level of funding necessary for research on environmental risk factors for cancer and gene-environment interactions
• Not later than 6 months after enactment, coordinate with the National Center on Minority Health and Health Disparities to prepare a strategic plan that identifies progress goals and benchmarks and the needed resources for research on disparities in cancer treatment, control, and prevention
• Incorporate cancer survivorship within the cancer control program

Other National Institutes of Health (NIH)-related provisions include:

• Providing NCI with "other transactions" authority to carry out research in support of the development of advanced technologies leading to the expedited delivery of clinical products to benefit cancer patients. Other transactions are contracts other than standard procurement contracts and financial assistance mechanisms such as cooperative agreements and grants to fund research.
• Requiring the Director of NIH to support the existing NCI-designated multicenter national infrastructure for collaborative pediatric cancer research to support a national, population-based childhood cancer database
• Requiring the Secretary of HHS to submit a plan to Congress that outlines strategies by which State cancer registries funded by the DHHS National Program of Cancer Registries and the NCI Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results Program can share information to ensure more comprehensive cancer data
• Requiring the Secretary of HHS to establish a Chemoprevention Products Board, which would include a representative from NIH
• Promoting biospecimen collection by authorizing the adoption of NCI guidelines for biorepositories

Status and Outlook

S. 1056 was introduced by Senator Feinstein on March 29, 2007, and was referred to the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions. No further action has occurred on this legislation.

February 2008