2015 & House Cancer Caucuses Resolve
to Find a Cure for Cancer

WASHINGTON, D.C. - U.S. Reps. Collin Peterson (D-MN) and Clay Shaw (R-FL), co-founders of the 2015 Caucus, along with the co-chairs of the House Cancer Caucus, held a press conference on Wednesday, September 21, to announce their resolution to find a cure for a cancer, or treat it as a manageable disease, by the year 2015. 

National Cancer Institute Director, Dr. Andrew von Eschenbach, and American Cancer Society CEO, Dr. John Seffrin, joined the Members in calling for the White House to establish the goal of finding a cure for cancer in the next 10 years. 

As cancer survivors, Reps. Peterson and Shaw co-founded the bipartisan 2015 Caucus in 2003 as a forum for House Members who have cancer or who have defeated it. The Caucus also includes Members who have a spouse, child, parent or sibling who have been directly affected by the disease. 

The 2015 Resolution is named for the National Cancer Institute's (NCI) goal of treating cancer as a manageable disease rather than a life-threatening disease in the next ten years. Peterson and Shaw believe that with the right resources and scientific developments, great strides can be made to make cancer a manageable disease, and become one step closer in the quest for a cure.

Letter follows 

 -30-

________________________________

Dear Mr. President:

We are writing to express our commitment to and support for the National Cancer Institute's (NCI) goal of eliminating cancer death and suffering by the year 2015. Thanks to prior investments in cancer research and programs, we are making remarkable progress in the fight against cancer. Achieving the 2015 goal, which was established under your leadership, is now within our reach. 

When Congress and President Nixon declared war against cancer in 1971, cancer was largely a death sentence. Three decades later, our national research investment has reaped remarkable returns. Today, early detection can defeat some of the common cancers, such as cancer of the cervix, breast, colon and prostate, which represent more than half of all cancers. And, childhood cancer is curable in three out of four patients, despite the sad fact that solid tumor cancers claim a great number of our children. 

The development of colon cancer screening tests and treatments has led to a 90 percent five-year survival rate for colon cancers caught in the earliest, localized stages and 64 percent when the cancer has spread only to adjacent organs or lymph nodes. Once the cancer has spread to other parts of the body, the five-year survival rate drops to just eight percent. NCI research has also led to the development of molecularly-targeted drugs that attack only cancer cells while leaving healthy tissue unharmed. These are only two examples of the remarkable advances made through our national investment in cancer research.

Unfortunately, despite this progress, our fight is far from over. Cancer has now surpassed heart disease as the number one killer of Americans under age 85. Cancer still strikes one out of every two men and one out of every three women. Two classrooms of children are diagnosed with cancer each day. And, this year alone, cancer will claim the lives of more than 560,000 Americans. Eliminating death and suffering from cancer by the year 2015 will require a commitment by Congress to continue to make the fight against cancer a national priority.

We strongly support your Administration's 2015 goal and stand ready to work with the Administration and our colleagues in Congress to make it a reality for the millions of Americans affected by this devastating disease.

Home | Press Releases