Lung Cancer Alliance Hails Early Introduction of Comprehensive Lung Cancer Research L...( Commends United States Senate Cancer ...),Health

Commends United States Senate Cancer Caucus Co-Chairs Dianne Feinstein (D-CA) and Sam Brownback(R-KS) For Their Continued Leadership

WASHINGTON, Jan. 27 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Just three weeks into the 111th Congress, United States Senators Dianne Feinstein (D-CA)and Sam Brownback(R-KS) reintroduced the Lung Cancer Mortality Reduction Act of 2009, legislation authorizing a comprehensive, multi-agency research effort to reduce lung cancer's mortality.

(Logo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20081016/LCALOGO )

The Lung Cancer Mortality Reduction Act of 2009 declares lung cancer a public health priority, authorizes the Secretaries of Health and Human Services, Defense and Veterans Affairs to combine their key assets and to develop a comprehensive and coordinated research program with a goal of cutting lung cancer's mortality in half by 2016. The first year of the five year bill would be funded at no less than $75 million. Additional sums are authorized as determined by these three agencies in the overall five year plan.

"We could not be more pleased and honored to again be working with these Senate champions who throughout their public service careers have been staunch advocates not just for upgrading cancer research generally, but lung cancer research specifically, said Laurie Fenton Ambrose, Lung Cancer Alliance (LCA) President & CEO. "By introducing this lung cancer bill so early, these Senate Cancer Caucus Co-chairs are signaling to the President, the Senate and the Country the urgent need to address lung cancer - now."

Lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer death for both men and women in the United States and world-wide. In 1971, when the National Cancer Act was passed, lung cancer's 5-year survival rate was 12%. Today, it is only 15% while the 5-ye
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