Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: THURSDAY, October 28, 1993 TAG: 9310280094
SECTION: NATIONAL/INTERNATIONAL PAGE: A-2 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: Associated Press
DATELINE: WASHINGTON LENGTH: Medium
The Special Commission on Breast Cancer said Wednesday that federal agencies need to spend at least $500 million a year to make substantial progress against a killer disease that is claiming more and more victims.
The National Institutes of Health spend $300 million on breast cancer research, commission Chairwoman Nancy Brinker said. The Defense Department has another $210 million for research over five years.
"There are two things we don't know about breast cancer," Brinker said. "We don't know the cause, and we don't know the cure. Until we make such a commitment, we're not going to know either one."
Breast cancer will be diagnosed in about 2 million women in the 1990s, the commission said, and 460,000 will die. Since 1950, the incidence of breast cancer has increased 53 percent - one of the fastest-growing killer diseases in the nation, said Brinker.
Brinker said many promising research opportunities are being ignored or underfunded because the federal government is not spending enough on breast cancer research.
Brinker said that in 15 months of research and hearings, the commission found that lack of funds is slowing the battle, despite promising advances in genetics, molecular biology and other fields.
"We need to get an army of young scientists into the pipeline to research new and novel ideas for treatment of breast cancer," she said.
Dr. Harmon J. Eyre, a vice president of the American Cancer Society and a member of the presidential commission, said the National Cancer Institute has identified about $1 billion worth of promising cancer research projects that have not been funded.
"Breast cancer would be a very high part of that," he said. "There are at least $200 million worth of additional opportunities that should be funded."
As an example, Eyre said international experts have called for a worldwide study to determine how effective mammography is in detecting breast cancer among women 40 to 49 years old, but the National Cancer Institute has not had money to support the project.
The commission recommended:
Enactment of legal standards for mammography exams and an effort to promote the screening among women, mostly poor, who do not have the exams now.
Developing treatment techniques that improve the quality of life for patients.
Support for advocacy organizations to ensure access to care for all women, and expanded education on breast cancer.
by CNB