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Veteran's Prostate Cancer Treatment and Research Act

Floor Speech

By: Neal Dunn
By: Neal Dunn
Date: Sept. 29, 2020
Location: Washington, DC

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Mr. DUNN. Mr. Speaker, I rise to speak in favor of H.R. 6092, the Veteran's Prostate Cancer Research and Treatment Act. This bill will support our Nation's heroes who are diagnosed with prostate cancer.

September is recognized as National Prostate Health Month, or Prostate Cancer Awareness Month. The timing could not be better to advance the Veteran's Prostate Cancer Research and Treatment Act from the House floor.

Prostate cancer is the number one cancer diagnosed at the Veterans Health Administration (VHA) and this bill will improve the care our veterans receive every step of the way. Whether it be at an early screening, the difficult moment a veteran receives a prostate cancer diagnosis, during treatment, during recovery, or while receiving end of life care, our veterans deserve the best.

The VA is already a notable leader in prostate cancer research and the goal of this legislation is to help the agency build on its success. A clearly defined national clinical pathway for the treatment of prostate cancer is needed because 500,000 veterans are being treated for it in the VHA today. 16,000 veterans are diagnosed with prostate cancer annually--nearly 43 each day.

The most common cancer diagnosed in the VA health system should be met with the most recent clinical data, national expertise, and state- of-the-art technology. Another element of my bill is the creation of a national prostate cancer registry. Cancer registries are important because they inform research and lead to improved treatment protocol, and thus, outcomes. The creation of a registry supports the goals of the clinical pathway and allows for updates and improvements as researchers learn more about the disease.

I thank my colleague Mr. Cunningham for working with me as the democratic lead on this bill. I encourage all of my colleagues to support the Veteran's Prostate Cancer Research and Treatment Act today so that the VA may better support our veterans' health moving forward.

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