On September 27, the House unanimously approved, 415-0, a resolution (H. Res. 576) expressing the sense of the House that Congress should support efforts to increase childhood cancer awareness, treatment, and research. The resolution was sponsored by Rep. Deborah Pryce (R-OH), who lost her daughter to cancer last year.
The resolution would encourage “public and private sector efforts to promote awareness about the incidence of cancer among children, the signs and symptoms of cancer in children, and treatment options; increased public and private investment in childhood cancer research to improve prevention, diagnosis, treatment, and long-term survival; policies that provide incentives to encourage medical trainees and investigators to enter the field of pediatric oncology; policies that provide incentives to encourage the development of drugs and biologics designed to treat pediatric cancers; policies that encourage participation in clinical trials; and medical education curricula designed to improve pain management for cancer patients.”
Speaking about her own experience, Rep. Pryce said, “Caroline’s story illustrates an issue we must confront as a nation, how to ensure the best possible treatment of children and teenagers with cancer.”
