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U.S.
Representatives urge critical improvements
in Prostate Cancer detection…Bipartisan
support calls for increased federal funding
to improve prostate cancer imaging
WASHINGTON, Feb. 11 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/
-- Over 20 U.S. representatives (see note 1)
urged the Department of Health and Human
Services (HHS) and National Institutes of
Health (NIH) to assign an "explicit high
priority" in the current for research and
development of imaging technologies to
improve early detection and treatment of
prostate cancer.
Such a federal investment in prostate
cancer, a disease that strikes a man every
2.5 minutes and kills a man every 18
minutes, would save millions of lives and
billions of dollars. Prostate cancer has
become more common than breast cancer, yet
advanced diagnostic imaging technologies
comparable to mammograms remain unavailable.
In a letter sent to HHS Secretary Michael
Leavitt and NIH Director Elias Zerhouni, the
representatives stated:
"Life-saving breakthroughs in screening,
diagnosis, and treatment of breast cancer
resulted from the development of advanced
imaging technologies led by the Federal
Government.
"
It is now time for our Government to lead
the way so that men will have accurate and
affordable prostate cancer screening exams
and similar minimally-invasive treatment
tools."
"The funding of imaging research that will
lead to more accurate detection and
diagnoses of prostate cancer could
eventually save tens of thousands of lives a
year," said Rep. Elijah Cummings (D-MD) who
coordinated the letter initiative.
"Current treatment for prostate cancer costs
our health care system $8 billion a year,
and an additional $2 billion is spent on
unnecessary biopsies. Sadly, it's also spent
on care for those whose diagnosis was missed
and who are in the end stages of this deadly
disease.
"We
know we are within reach of developing
state-of-the-art imaging technology, and
making federal funding for this kind of
research a priority will give men the
information they need to make informed
decisions about their health."
Prostate cancer care crisis
The lack of reliable diagnostic tools is
leading to a crisis in care for a disease
that can be cured if detected early.
This reality is sad for every American man
who faces screening for prostate cancer;
however, it is particularly devastating for
African American males who have
significantly higher incidence and mortality
rates. Existing tests, including the
prostate specific antigen (PSA) test and
biopsies, miss cancers and/or underestimate
their aggressiveness and thus lead to failed
clinical interventions in as many as in 1 in
2 men.
Even when PSAs are abnormal, approximately
88% of men - or 1 million per year - undergo
unnecessary biopsies and end up not having
prostate cancer.
Since the current diagnostic tools cannot
reliably distinguish aggressive from
low-risk prostate cancer, many men undergo
unnecessary, costly treatments that cause
complications, such as impotence and
incontinence.
"Advanced imaging technologies will arm
physicians with critical information
required to improve quality of care and
reduce health care costs," said Faina Shtern,
M.D., president and CEO of the nonprofit
AdMeTech Foundation. "Federal support made
it possible to advance breast cancer
imaging, which transformed early detection
and treatment of breast cancer. We salute
the U.S. Congress for helping create similar
possibilities for men."
Prostate imaging research a priority
In calling for increased funding, the
representatives are echoing the principles
of the Prostate Research, Imaging and Men's
Education Act, or PRIME Act (S. 1734/ HR.
3563) - legislation currently sponsored in
both houses of Congress that calls for
increased funding for prostate cancer
diagnostic technology.
The PRIME Act, introduced in the Senate by
Sens. Barbara Boxer (D-CA), John Kerry
(D-MA) and Frank Lautenberg (D-NJ), and in
the House by Reps. Cummings (D-MD), Albert
Wynn (D-MD) and Dan Burton (R-IN), would
dedicate $650 million to develop the
detection technology and educational
resources needed to gain the upper hand in
the battle against prostate cancer.
"The PRIME Act is crucial to the long-term
health of American men," said Rep. Dan
Burton (R-IN). "We know that when detected
and treated early, prostate cancer has a
cure rate of over 90 percent. It is time for
the federal government to make an investment
in the technology that will give physicians
the tools they need to end blind patient
care."
"This legislation is a prime example of how
taxpayer dollars, put to the right use, can
positively impact millions of lives and
eliminate billions of dollars from an
already strained health care system.
Prostate cancer is an epidemic in this
country and we have a moral imperative to
effectively address this health care crisis
impacting men and in particular, the
African-American male," said Rep. Wynn.
AdMeTech Foundation
The AdMeTech Foundation is a non-profit
organization dedicated to improved early
diagnosis and treatment of prostate cancer.
The organization develops strategic
partnerships with academia, advocacy,
industry, and government to facilitate
development and implementation of accurate,
affordable accessible diagnostic tools for
prostate cancer. For more information, log
onto http://www.admetech.org/ orhttp://www.manogram.org/.
(1) Note: The signatories of the letter
included Reps. Cummings (D-MD), Burton
(R-IN), Clay (D-MO), Crowley (D-NY), Davis
(D-IL), Ferguson (R-NJ), Gonzalez (D-TX),
Hinojosa (D-TX), Holden (D-PA), Lee (D-TX),
LoBiondo (R-NJ), Marshall (D-GA), McGovern
(D-MA), Meeks (D-NY), Norton (D-DC), Ortiz
(D-TX), Thompson (D-MS), Towns (D-NY), Wynn
(D-MD), Fortuno (D-PR) and Green (D-TX).
To view the entire letter, log onto
http://www.admetech.org/DOWNLOAD/final_prostate_funding_dc.pdf.
Source: AdMeTech
Foundation
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