Lawmakers introduce bill to promote prostate Ca detection research

U.S. Senator Barbara Boxer (D-CA) and Congressman Elijah Cummings (D-MD) recently introduced the Prostate Cancer Detection Research and Education Act, legislation that would improve research and detection of prostate cancer.

The measure would also support a national campaign to raise awareness about the need for prostate cancer screening.

"Prostate cancer is one of the leading threats to the health and lives of the men of this country," Boxer said. "This legislation would promote efforts to develop a more reliable test for prostate cancer to ensure that patients are getting the right diagnosis and the treatment they need. We owe it to men and their families to do what we can to combat this deadly disease."

"We cannot continue to put at risk the many American men whose very lives depend upon reliable detection and diagnosis of prostate cancer," Cummings said. "I am proud to introduce this bill with Senator Boxer to ensure that men get the treatment they need, and that those at low risk are spared from unnecessary intervention. I believe that investment in prostate cancer research is critical to reducing the terrible impact of this disease."

The Prostate Cancer Detection Research and Education Act would increase federal investment in prostate cancer research and bring together a panel of leading medical experts to work toward the ultimate goal of developing an accurate test that can detect prostate cancer and diagnose how severe the cancer is.

Specifically, the legislation would direct the secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services to:

• establish an advisory council of experts to evaluate the current federal research on prostate cancer and draft a plan for developing a test to detect and diagnose prostate cancer
• direct the National Institutes of Health to use the plan developed by the advisory council to coordinate and intensify federal research to develop and validate an accurate test for prostate cancer
• create a national campaign to increase awareness of the need for prostate cancer screening, which recognizes and works to address the racial disparities in the incidence of prostate cancer.

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