Caucus Urges Greater Investment in NCI to Benefit Children With Cancer

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The congressional appropriations process is underway, as a federal budget for fiscal year 2015 takes shape.

In their April 4 letter to the co-chairs of the Subcommittee on Labor, Health and Human Services of the House Appropriations Committee, Rep. Michael McCaul (R-TX) and Rep. Chris Van Hollen (D-MD), co-chairs of the Congressional Childhood Cancer Caucus, called for a greater investment in the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to fund pediatric cancer research.

The letter was cosigned by 10 members of the Caucus:  Rep. Mike Kelly (R-PA); Rep. Jeff Miller (R-FL); Rep. G.K. Butterfield (D-NC); Rep. John Carney (D-DE); Rep. Leonard Lance (R-NJ); Rep. Brian Higgins (D-NY); Rep. Pete Sessions (R-TX); Rep. Jackie Speier (D-CA); Rep. Raul Grijalva (D-AZ ); and Rep. Steve Cohen (D-TN).

“…NCI…plays a vital role by supporting most pediatric cancer research in the United States. NCI research ranges from basic science, to preclinical testing and clinical trials, survivorship research, and epidemiological studies,” stated the letter. “The NCI supports trials at the NIH Clinical Center in Bethesda, NCI-designated cancer centers, and additional hospitals and treatment centers that serve as trial sites through the Children’s Oncology Group.”

The Congressmen reported that 4,000 children are enrolled on the approximately 100 ongoing NCI-sponsored clinical trials each year and “…the percentage of children with cancer participating in clinical trials is much higher than that observed for adults with cancer…in the 30% to 40% range with substantial variation in participation rates by age and diagnosis.”

Subcommittees of the House and Senate appropriations committees prepare 12 appropriations bills which address 20 areas of spending. The bills are presented to Congress for their approval, with the intent of enacting them prior to the beginning of the new fiscal year on October 1.

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