Caroline Pryce Walker Conquer Childhood Cancer Act of 2008

Floor Speech

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Mr. VAN HOLLEN. I thank my colleague.

Madam Speaker, I rise in strong support of this bill, the Caroline Pryce Walker Conquer Childhood Cancer Act of 2008, and I want to first and foremost thank my colleague, Deborah Pryce, for her leadership and commitment on this very important issue that affects so many children and families around our Nation. We're all very grateful to her for working to prevent other people and other families from facing the same tragic loss that she and her family experienced with the loss of a child, and I'm honored to have worked with her on this bipartisan piece of legislation.

I also want to thank Chairman Dingell, Chairman Pallone, Ranking Members Barton and Deal and their staffs for working to bring this legislation to the floor today and for their commitment on this very important issue.

I think that the title of this bill is a fitting tribute not only to Deborah Pryce's daughter, Caroline Pryce Walker, but also to the other millions of children who have courageously fought pediatric cancer and those who are bravely fighting pediatric cancer today as we speak on this floor.

I have had the opportunity to meet with many of those children and their families who are struggling with childhood cancer. One of them, Matthew Grossman, was diagnosed at the age of 13 with a very rare brain tumor. Before his diagnosis, he was a soccer player, a swimmer, a talented young musician from Bethesda, Maryland. Matthew underwent 7 months of chemotherapy, brain surgery, 6 weeks of daily radiation to the brain and spine, and two bone marrow transplants.

This brave young man has been in full remission since January 2006. He went back to school and rejoined his class, despite having been out of school for a year and a half. He recently celebrated his 17th birthday and continues to play guitar, perform in a band, and sing in his school's choir.

Matthew is one story out of thousands. Unfortunately, there are many children who are not as fortunate as Matthew. Cancer remains the number one killer of children under the age of 15 who die from disease in this country. Pediatric cancer, including brain tumors, comes in many variations. Each year there are about 12,000 new cases of pediatric cancer. And while the incidents of pediatric cancer has increased, the causes are largely unknown.

Thanks to past funding in childhood cancer research, we know that 78 percent of childhood cancer patients overall are now able to survive the disease. Forty years ago, it was a much different story. Cure rates for children with cancer was lower than 10 percent. This shows that biomedical research and funding that we've been able to do has saved lives, and it's also why we're here today to say we need to finish the job and continue the commitment because currently, the NIH has not received the funds it needs.

We know that the President's proposed budget this year has once again, unfortunately, been flat funded for NIH. Since the doubling of the NIH budget in the year 2003, that funding has not kept pace with biomedical inflation, and that has impeded our ability to delay and do the research we need into the onset of many diseases. If we fail to invest in innovative research at NIH, we will forfeit the opportunities to make ground-breaking, life-saving work to save lives.

The NCI currently spends approximately $170 million a year on pediatric cancer research. Much of this now goes to laboratory and pre-clinical testing. We also need to do the important work to invest in clinical trials. An NCI peer review group of scientists in 2002 recognized this and recommended $54 million in funding for pediatric cancer clinical trials. That level was never funded.

The SPEAKER pro tempore. The gentleman's time has expired.

Mr. PALLONE. Madam Speaker, if I could yield the gentleman an additional minute.

Mr. VAN HOLLEN. Madam Speaker, I thank the chairman.

That level was never fully funded, and since then, this funding has been cut.

Because Federal funding for pediatric research continues to drop, many critical trials have been put at risk. As many as 20 studies has been put on hold and enrollment in new clinical trials has decreased by more than 400 children. This is taking us in the wrong direction.

This act will enhance and expand pediatric cancer research activities at the NIH, establish a pediatric cancer registry, and increase educational informational and support services to patients and families affected by childhood cancer.

Madam Speaker, we can do better in our fight against pediatric cancer. Let's help give our children and their families the future they so deserve by passing this bill. I urge my colleagues, and once again, thank our colleague, Deborah Pryce, for leading by example in this very important area.

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